Several injured as section of stadium collapses

Chile Colo Colo Argentine Maximiliano Falcon left and Brazil's Internacional Taison vie for the ball during their Copa Sudamericana football tournament round 16 second leg match, on July 5, 2022, at the Beira-Rio stadium in Porto Alegre, Brazil. SILVIO AVILA AFP Several fans were injured on Friday after a section of Santiago's Estadio Monumental collapsed during an open training session hosted by Chilean club Colo Colo.

There were hundreds of cheering supporters in the stand before it gave way to their weight, according to footage on social media.

We regret the events that took place today. Colo Colo said in a statement that a group of people did not respect the minimum standards of behavior by climbing onto a structure for advertising, over which they jumped and caused part of it to collapse.

Some of those involved were injured and were taken to the nearest medical center. The club did not say how many people had been injured.

Colo Colo said they would completely remove the damaged structure to avoid a similar accident in the future.

We will make all necessary improvements to ensure the safety of our fans, as a result of our commitment to the authorities. Colo Colo's open practice, known as the Arengazo, is a club tradition where fans can cheer their team inside the stadium ahead of important games. They face Universidad Catolica in a derby clash on Sunday.

Wednesday night's domestic cup game between Catolica and Universidad de Chile was suspended after U de Chile's goalkeeper was struck by fireworks.