Roof Of Apollo Theater In Belvidere, Illinois Collapses Prior To MORBID ANGEL Show; One Fatality Confirmed, 28 People Injured
April 1, 2023, a year ago
Morbid Angel were due to perform at the Apollo Theater in Belvidere, IL on Friday night (March 31st), but the roof of the venue collapsed, killing one person and injuring 28 people. According to the Belvidere Police Department, 260 people were in the venue when the roof caved in.
The National Weather Service sent out a tornado warning at 7:45pm local time; the roof collapsed 10 minutes later.
Eyewitness News WTVO / WQRF has shared an interview with concert-goer Gabrielle Lewellyn, who was inside the Apollo Theater for a few minutes before the storm hit and the roof collapsed. Multiple people were trapped under the rubble, she said.
Belvidere police chief Shane Woody commented, saying it was "absolute chaos. When officers are first on the scene, when the fire department and first responders get here, they do the best they can to control the chaos as much as possible, but ultimately, we go in, and ultimately try and find people, and save as many people as we possibly can, and bring them to safety as best as we can."
Photo taken from WFCN News - Illinois Facebook page.
