People gather near the rubble of a grandstand that collapsed in a bullring during the celebrations of the San Pedro festivities, in El Espinal, Colombia. Reuters.
People gather near the rubble of a grandstand that collapsed in a bullring during the celebrations of the San Pedro festivities, in El Espinal, Colombia. Reuters.
People gather near the rubble of a grandstand that collapsed in a bullring during the celebrations of the San Pedro festivities, in El Espinal, Colombia. Reuters.
People gather near the rubble of a grandstand that collapsed in a bullring during the celebrations of the San Pedro festivities, in El Espinal, Colombia. Reuters.

Colombia: four dead and scores hurt as stand collapses at bullring


Neil Murphy
  • English
  • Arabic

Four people were killed and about 70 injured on Sunday when part of a stand collapsed at a bullring in the town of El Espinal, Colombia, provincial officials said.

Videos on social media showed the section of the stand toppling forward into the ring, where locals were taking part in a bull-running event tied to the feast day of Saint Peter and Saint Paul.

"There are four dead at this moment — two women, a man and a minor," Tolima provincial governor Jose Ricardo Orozco told local Blu Radio.

No one remained trapped in the wreckage, Maj Luis Fernando Velez, director of civil defence in the province, told local Caracol TV, and several people reported as missing had been found.

"The emergency has been overcome at the site of the incident. More or less 70 people were injured," Maj Velez said.

Ambulances were sent from the nearby cities of Ibague and Melgar to help the injured, who have overwhelmed El Espinal's hospital, Mr Velez said.

He said he did not know exactly what the stand was built with but it appeared to be wooden boards.

The event was part of celebrations surrounding the San Pedro festival, which is the region's most popular.

Police officers on horseback patrol the area where some stands collapsed. Reuters.
Police officers on horseback patrol the area where some stands collapsed. Reuters.

"We will request an investigation of the facts about what happened," Colombia's departing President Ivan Duque said on Twitter, expressing his solidarity with the families of those killed and hurt.

Governor of Tolima department, Jose Ricardo Orozco, said the government would move to ban the "corralejas", in which local residents try their luck in the ring, saying they were dangerous and promoted animal abuse.

On Saturday, several people were injured in accidents at the corralejas in El Espinal, which is home to about 78,000 people, and is about 150 kilometres from the capital Bogota.

Another person died this month after being gored by a bull during a corraleja in the town of Repelon.

President-elect Gustavo Petro, who will take office on August 7, joined Mr Orozco in calling for the amateur bullfights to be banned.

When he served as mayor of Bogota, the leftist Mr Petro put a stop to bullfights in the city's bullring, La Santamaria.

Uefa Nations League: How it works

The Uefa Nations League, introduced last year, has reached its final stage, to be played over five days in northern Portugal. The format of its closing tournament is compact, spread over two semi-finals, with the first, Portugal versus Switzerland in Porto on Wednesday evening, and the second, England against the Netherlands, in Guimaraes, on Thursday.

The winners of each semi will then meet at Porto’s Dragao stadium on Sunday, with the losing semi-finalists contesting a third-place play-off in Guimaraes earlier that day.

Qualifying for the final stage was via League A of the inaugural Nations League, in which the top 12 European countries according to Uefa's co-efficient seeding system were divided into four groups, the teams playing each other twice between September and November. Portugal, who finished above Italy and Poland, successfully bid to host the finals.

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How to become a Boglehead

Bogleheads follow simple investing philosophies to build their wealth and live better lives. Just follow these steps.

•   Spend less than you earn and save the rest. You can do this by earning more, or being frugal. Better still, do both.

•   Invest early, invest often. It takes time to grow your wealth on the stock market. The sooner you begin, the better.

•   Choose the right level of risk. Don't gamble by investing in get-rich-quick schemes or high-risk plays. Don't play it too safe, either, by leaving long-term savings in cash.

•   Diversify. Do not keep all your eggs in one basket. Spread your money between different companies, sectors, markets and asset classes such as bonds and property.

•   Keep charges low. The biggest drag on investment performance is all the charges you pay to advisers and active fund managers.

•   Keep it simple. Complexity is your enemy. You can build a balanced, diversified portfolio with just a handful of ETFs.

•   Forget timing the market. Nobody knows where share prices will go next, so don't try to second-guess them.

•   Stick with it. Do not sell up in a market crash. Use the opportunity to invest more at the lower price.

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The biog

Age: 35

Inspiration: Wife and kids 

Favourite book: Changes all the time but my new favourite is Thinking, Fast and Slow  by Daniel Kahneman

Best Travel Destination: Bora Bora , French Polynesia 

Favourite run: Jabel Hafeet, I also enjoy running the 30km loop in Al Wathba cycling track

The 12 Syrian entities delisted by UK 

Ministry of Interior
Ministry of Defence
General Intelligence Directorate
Air Force Intelligence Agency
Political Security Directorate
Syrian National Security Bureau
Military Intelligence Directorate
Army Supply Bureau
General Organisation of Radio and TV
Al Watan newspaper
Cham Press TV
Sama TV

BMW M5 specs

Engine: 4.4-litre twin-turbo V-8 petrol enging with additional electric motor

Power: 727hp

Torque: 1,000Nm

Transmission: 8-speed auto

Fuel consumption: 10.6L/100km

On sale: Now

Price: From Dh650,000

Why seagrass matters
  • Carbon sink: Seagrass sequesters carbon up to 35X faster than tropical rainforests
  • Marine nursery: Crucial habitat for juvenile fish, crustations, and invertebrates
  • Biodiversity: Support species like sea turtles, dugongs, and seabirds
  • Coastal protection: Reduce erosion and improve water quality
The specs: 2018 BMW R nineT Scrambler

Price, base / as tested Dh57,000

Engine 1,170cc air/oil-cooled flat twin four-stroke engine

Transmission Six-speed gearbox

Power 110hp) @ 7,750rpm

Torque 116Nm @ 6,000rpm

Fuel economy, combined 5.3L / 100km

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Tuesday's fixtures
Group A
Kyrgyzstan v Qatar, 5.45pm
Iran v Uzbekistan, 8pm
N Korea v UAE, 10.15pm
Scoreline

Australia 2-1 Thailand

Australia: Juric 69', Leckie 86'
Thailand: Pokklaw 82'

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How to improve Arabic reading in early years

One 45-minute class per week in Standard Arabic is not sufficient

The goal should be for grade 1 and 2 students to become fluent readers

Subjects like technology, social studies, science can be taught in later grades

Grade 1 curricula should include oral instruction in Standard Arabic

First graders must regularly practice individual letters and combinations

Time should be slotted in class to read longer passages in early grades

Improve the appearance of textbooks

Revision of curriculum should be undertaken as per research findings

Conjugations of most common verb forms should be taught

Systematic learning of Standard Arabic grammar

Updated: June 27, 2022, 4:41 AM