5 dead at Pasay City concert
(Updated) At least five people, including an American national, died after they collapsed on the concert grounds in the open parking area of a mall in Pasay City early Sunday morning.
A report from the Pasay City Police said that Ariel Leal, 22; Lance Garcia, 36; Bianca Fontejon, 18; and Eric Anthony Miller, 33, were found unconscious while the “CloseUp Forever Summer” concert at the Mall of Asia open parking grounds was going on. The four did not survive.
A fifth casualty, Ken Migawa, 18, who was also found unconscious and was earlier reported in critical condition at the San Juan de Dios Hospital, also passed away Sunday night.
Leal and Garcia were brought to the San Juan de Dios Memorial Hospital while Fontejon and Miller were rushed to the Manila Doctors’ Hospital.
All five persons, according to initial investigation, were unrelated and under the influence of alcohol when brought to hospitals for treatment.
National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) spokesperson Chief Insp. Kimberly Molitas told INQUIRER.net that the casualties were from different parts of the venue.
Cause of the deaths is still undetermined and the case is under investigation, Molitas added.
Photo from Inquirer’s 2bU Instagram account
The relatives of the casualties have already been notified. As to Miller, the United States Embassy was informed about his death.
In a statement, CloseUp expressed its condolences to the families of the persons who died while attending the concert.
“Closeup and its organizing agency, Activations Advertising, and staging agency, Eventscape, are deeply saddened by the events that transpired on the early hours of May 22, 2016.
“We regret that, despite the very stringent measures and precautions we have put in place to ensure the safety and security of all attendees involved, this incident still transpired. As such, strict protocols were followed to immediately provide medical assistance as well as rush all those involved to the nearest hospital where they can receive emergency care,” the statement read.
CloseUp also said it was cooperating with the authorities in their investigation.
“We extend our deepest sympathies to the families of those who’ve passed away and commit support in their time of bereavement. Likewise, our efforts are now focused on supporting those needing medical assistance so they may fully recover. We are fully cooperating with the authorities in the ongoing police investigations,” it added.
Police noted that during the event, audience members were allowed to buy and drink liquor from different concessionaires inside the area. With a report from AFP/JE/rga
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