Illinois Concert Venue Roof Collapses Killing One, Injuring Dozen

A concert at the Apollo Theatre in Belvidere, Illinois Friday (3/31) came to a violent end when the roof collapsed, killing one and injuring at least 28 others.

According to MyStateline.com, The metal band Morbid Angel was supposed to headline tonight at the Apollo when the roof collapsed due to severe weather.

A source from the Chicago Fire Department received a request about 30 minutes into the concert for 20 ambulances to assist.

A video shared by WIFR's Facebook shows people calling for help while sorting through the rubble of the collapsed roof.

MyStateline.com also reported approximately 260 people were in the venue and that everyone has been accounted for.

Morbid Angel's Facebook page announced the cancellation of the show and that a "tornado" had hit the venue around 9 p.m.

Illinois Governor JB Pritzker tweeted that his team is currently monitoring the situation.

According to information shared by Loudwire.com on Friday night, the Apollo Theatre originally opened in 1921 along North State Street in Belvidere. The venue has hosted a variety of music acts in recent years.

The Belvidere area is no stranger to severe weather events. A 1967 tornado swept through the area including Belvidere High School killing 24 people and injuring more than 400.

Tornado Destruction in Little Rock, Arkansas March 31, 2023

WYNNE, Ark. (AP) — Tornadoes that tore through parts of the South and Midwest have killed at least 11 people.

The storms collapsed a theater roof during a heavy metal concert in Illinois. Possibly dozens of tornadoes touched down into the night across at least seven states.

They were part of a sprawling system that also brought wildfires to the southern Plains and blizzard conditions to the Upper Midwest.

A coroner says the dead included four in the small town of Wynne, Arkansas. Other deaths were reported in Alabama, Illinois, Indiana, Mississippi and the Little Rock area.

LOOK: The most expensive weather and climate disasters in recent decades

Stacker ranked the most expensive climate disasters by the billions since 1980 by the total cost of all damages, adjusted for inflation, based on 2021 data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). The list starts with Hurricane Sally, which caused $7.3 billion in damages in 2020, and ends with a devastating 2005 hurricane that caused $170 billion in damage and killed at least 1,833 people. Keep reading to discover the 50 of the most expensive climate disasters in recent decades in the U.S.

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