A fire has destroyed the main stage at Tomorrowland festival in Belgium, just two days before the event was set to open.
“Our beloved main stage has been severely damaged,” festival organisers said on Wednesday evening.
The statement said nobody was injured during the blaze, the cause of which remains unclear.
The electronic dance music festival is due to start on Friday in the town of Boom, south of Antwerp, with 400,000 people expected to attend over two weekends.
Hundreds of artists are due to perform, including David Guetta, Lost Frequencies, Swedish House Mafia and Charlotte De Witte.
The fire started around 18:00 local time (16:00) on Wednesday. Videos posted to social media showed thick grey smoke engulfing the stage.
One employee who had been working on the site described “an apocalyptic scene” as the fire broke out.
“We suddenly heard bangs and saw fire near the stage, a huge amount of fire,” the unnamed individual told Het Nieuwsblad newspaper.
“We were just putting the finishing touches on it. One more day and it would be finished. Four weeks of work… gone in half an hour.”
Firefighters are working to stop the flames reaching neighbouring homes and woods. Some residents have been evacuated.
In an update posted on the festival’s website, organisers said the campsite would still open on Thursday as planned, and that the focus was “on finding solutions for the festival weekend”.
The event will go ahead without the main stage, they added.
