Camrose RCMP have released the name of a Lloydminster woman who died suddenly after powerful winds collapsed the main stage of a country music festival Saturday evening.
Donna Teresa Moore, 35, was crushed by a fallen speaker when winds gusting at more than 100 kilometres per hour ripped apart stage scaffolding at the Big Valley Jamboree.
At least 75 others were injured in the accident.
News of the tragedy spread as quickly as the powerful storm hit, reaching social networking websites and international media outlets soon after the stage fell.
The investigation was handed over to Alberta Occupational Health and Safety Sunday afternoon, police said.
Festival organizers are seeking anyone who may have been on or near the stage before or during the collapse.
Environment Canada officials called the devastating effect of the severe weather system “an act of God.”
Radar readings were misleading for weather officials, as strong winds hit Camrose about 20 kilometres before the bulk of the storm followed.
A severe weather warning was issued at 6:04 p.m., about five minutes after the stage collapsed.
“It was all happening at the same time,” said Environment Canada meteorologist Yvonne Bilan-Wallace.
Environment Canada is in the process of retracing the steps that lead to the warning that day, Bilan-Wallace added, though officials believe they “did all they could.”
“We always look back when we’ve had a lot of damage, or, God help us, fatalities, because they’re a horrible thing to have happen. We look at what we could do differently to get the information out.”
Big Valley Jamboree officials sent out “thoughts and prayers” in a release yesterday.
