We love you Potch! Sorry about the weather we will be back soon! 😢#jool #rag #potchjool #rainedout #scaryoutthere pic.twitter.com/zImXAe0Qg8
— Prime Circle (@Prime_Circle) January 30, 2020
A video doing the rounds on social media captured the moment a massive tent collapsed in the storm where several students from the North-West University’s Potchefstroom campus can be heard screaming inside.
According to News24 the students were out celebrating during the annual Reach Out and Give (RAG) event on a nearby farm when a thunderstorm hit several parts of the town.
University spokesperson Louis Jacobs told News24 nine students suffered slight injuries such as bruising and scratches as a result of the tent collapse.
“We are aware that people are saying there were severely injured students as well as one student who died, but this is not true,” Jacobs said.
He added that the university had checked with local hospitals to ensure that no students were severely or fatally harmed.
“We immediately evacuated the farm and brought in buses to take students back to campus. We also swept through the farm to ensure that no student was stuck underneath the tents.”
He said that both the beer tent and the VIP tent collapsed in the storm.
The RAG event, which is a fundraising opportunity for students to collect money for projects or charity groups, had since been closed while inspections took place on Friday morning.
The event was scheduled to run from Thursday to Saturday.
“We will not allow students back on the farm until our inspections are done. Once that is complete we will know if the event should continue or not”, Jacobs said.
South African rock band Prime Circle, who was scheduled to perform alongside Karen Zoid and Francois van Coke, also shared a video of the thunderstorm that ripped through the event.
