1 dead after tent collapses in storm

ST. LOUIS – One person has died and more than a dozen were taken to a hospital with injuries after high winds blew over a beer tent near Busch Stadium.

The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported Saturday that the man who died suffered a heart attack during the commotion when a sudden storm blew through around 3:50 p.m. Saturday.

The tent was set up next to Kilroy’s Sports Bar, where St. Louis Fire Chief Dennis Jenkerson said a few hundred people were celebrating after the Cardinals beat the Milwaukee Brewers in a baseball game earlier in the afternoon.

The newspaper reported that it was not clear if the man who died was struck during the storm or went into cardiac arrest because of the shock.

Kilroy’s owner Art Randall said things were flying through the air sideways and metal chairs were being flung across the beer garden by the storm.

Witnesses said the storm lasted several seconds and estimated the winds were between 60 to 80 mph (96 to 128 kph).

Emergency officials said 16 people were taken to hospitals with injuries ranging from minor to very serious. KSDK reported that fire officials said five people were in critical condition and 100 people were treated at the scene.