The Mad Cool Festival is held in Madrid, Spain - this image is from last year's event. Photo / Getty
The Mad Cool Festival is held in Madrid, Spain - this image is from last year's event. Photo / Getty
An acrobat plunged to his death in front of thousands of shocked festivalgoers in Madrid on Friday night, with organisers of the Mad Cool event criticised for deciding to continue with the programme of events.
Headline act Green Day took to the stage, apparently without having been informed about the tragedy that had just taken place.
The acrobat was named by family today as Spaniard Pedro Aunion Monroy, 42, who had been living in the UK and working as director of a performing arts company based in Portslade, Brighton.
We just got off stage at Mad Cool Festival to disturbing news. A very brave artist named Pedro lost his life tonight in a tragic accident
"We just got off stage at Mad Cool Festival to disturbing news. A very brave artist named Pedro lost his life tonight in a tragic accident", Green Day tweeted after their set had finished.
With no loudspeaker announcements being made over about the accident many had seen before their eyes at 10.45pm, festivalgoers took to social networks to inquire after the fate of the acrobat.
Pedro Aunion Monroy has been named as the acrobat who lost his life. Photo / Facebook
Mr Aunión fell from a height of almost 100ft, where he had been performing inside a box hanging from a crane in which he appeared to be wearing a harness.
Members of the public screamed as he dangled momentarily under the suspended stage before hurtling to the ground.
Emergency health workers attended to Mr Aunión, but he died soon after the fall.
Mad Cool Festival organisers put out a statement after Green Day had played, saying they were sorry for the accident but had decided to continue with the final act of the night "for security reasons".
On Saturday the festival will "pay an emotional tribute to the artist," the statement added. Many music fans expressed disgust with Mad Cool for not suspending the Green Day concert.
Albert Bonilla, a journalist who was at the festival, criticised the lack of sensitivity of organisers as he left the site. "A rabbit has come onto the stage to announce Green Day. Out comes the group and it's as if nothing had happened," he tweeted.
British actor Adrian Randle wrote: "I couldn't in good faith stay to watch Green Day perform after that. Thoughts go out to the family of the performer. "
