An insect is a small thing, but it caused a frightening stampede that injured 11 people at a Beyoncé concert in Atlanta. The singer had been performing for the final time of the Cowboy Carter tour in the city.
A crowd of people was leaving the Beyoncé concert when a stampede occurred and caused mass injuries.
"Just after midnight on Tuesday, July 15, 11 people leaving the Beyoncé concert at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in downtown Atlanta were injured on an escalator at Vine City Station," Stephany Fisher, sr. director of communications for MARTA, told People. "One person suffered a broken ankle, seven people were transported to the hospital with cuts and scrapes. And one person declined transport. Two people requested medical assistance after reaching their destinations."
It occurred after a person began screaming and running on the escalator, causing a malfunction. It all happened because a 10-year-old girl saw a cockroach, and someone freaked out.
Beyoncé Concert Stampede
"There was someone who started to scream outside of the station. She was startled by a bug outside, outside the large crowd," acting CEO Rhonda Allen told the MARTA board.
Meanwhile, Fisher said it all happened due to a bug. She said, "MARTA Police on scene said there was a scream, and witnesses said the person who screamed was reacting to an insect. I believe there's also video on TikTok of a woman claiming it was a 10-year-old relative who screamed when she saw a bug."
The escalator's manufacturer, Schindler, released a statement after the stampede at the Beyoncé concert.
"As previously stated, we are aware of the incident that occurred at Vine City Station on July 15th. As reported during yesterday's MARTA Working Session, the escalator was inspected by state officials the morning following the incident. And there was no indication of equipment malfunction; rather, preliminarily it appears that the escalator was overloaded beyond design capacity causing the unit to briefly accelerate. And the brakes to engage as part of the unit's multi-layered, code-required safety system," the statement read.
It continued, "As also indicated during the Working Session, prior to the incident, the escalator has undergone standard monthly maintenance with the most recent service taking place on July 10th, less than a week before the incident. The escalator was found to be fully compliant and performing as expected at that time. Again, we extend our sympathies to the persons injured. And will continue to provide technical support and cooperate fully with any further investigative efforts."
