4 die in Bolivia carnival parade

Four people have died in an incident where an overloaded footbridge collapsed onto spectators and marching musicians in the opening carnival parade in Bolivia’s Oruro highlands.

Bolivia’s Interior Ministry said three of the dead were musicians from a band, while the other was walking on the temporary metal footbridge, which collapsed during the Saturday parade in Oruro, known as Bolivia’s capital of folklore.

More than 60 people were also injured in the incident.

President Evo Morales “has sent his condolences and sympathy, and expressed solidarity with the families of the victims and the people of Oruro as a whole,” said Bolivian Interior Minister Carlos Romero.

Local folklore association kept the festival running despite the tragic incident.

“Obviously, this is very painful… So we have suggested to divert the parade to a different route to keep the festivities going,” said folklore association president Jacinto Quispaya.

Around 300,000 people attend the parade and more than 40,000 performers participate in the Oruro festival every year.

The United Nations Organization for Education, Science and Culture (UNESCO) previously described the festival as an “intangible cultural heritage of humanity.”