The incident occurred at around 22:15 at Cemal Resit Rey Concert Hall on Darul Bedai Street in Harbiyeh district. According to information received, after ELEV school’s year-end performance and graduation ceremony, students wanted to take photos with their teachers on stage. During the photo shoot, the giant LED screen on the stage began to collapse. Upon realizing the situation, a large number of students, teachers and parents jumped off the stage. In the confusion, one parent fell under the overturned screen and injured his leg, while two parents and three students sustained minor injuries.
Following the call, numerous ambulances, firefighters and police teams were dispatched to the scene. The parents who were trapped under the screen were rescued with the help of concert hall staff and members of the public. The injured were given first aid by medical teams at the scene and then transported to nearby hospitals. Some students and parents who were upset after the incident were calmed down by the police.
Thirteen people, including the school administrator, an LED technician and a technical services worker from the concert hall, were taken to the police station for questioning.
“Parents trapped under screens”
Oya Kayaalp said she was on stage when the giant LED screen collapsed, saying: “ELEV School was holding its graduation and end-of-year performance at Cemal Resit Rey. After the show, the graduates went on stage to take photos with their teachers. I was also on stage. That’s when I saw the stage tilt and children and parents stepping back. He was trapped under his guardian and injured his leg. Her child was also on the ground. I went and got his child and took him away. The gentleman’s wife was also injured. “Several other children had abrasions on their shoulders,” he said.
School administrators allegedly attacked parents who filmed the video
Kayaalp claimed the school administrators tried to attack him because he tried to take photos and videos after the incident, saying: “The principal approached my wife to take a photo and another person tried to kick her. The owner of the school also approached me and insulted me. Everyone was shocked, even the kids at the graduation ceremony. The injured person’s leg was crushed and his wife was also injured. Nothing else was serious. “I saw the students at the exit and they were bleeding,” he said.
“We’re told the screen was removed before the programme ended.”
Oya Kayaalp claimed that she was on stage taking photos when the screen began to dismantle, continuing:
What the kids said. So the kids started dismantling the screen on stage. They say that while we were on stage with the music playing and everyone was taking pictures, they took the screen down before the show ended.
“The youngest students were leaning on the giant screen.”
An anonymous source said, “There was a graduation ceremony at a private school. Graduation is over, and then the final part comes, and the caps are thrown into the air. After the caps are presented, parents also came on stage to take photos. At that time, some juniors leaned on the giant screen. Because they were leaning on it, it became a little loose. As the students retreated, the screen slowly fell. “It fell on two parents, injuring them,” he said.
