Spanish Pop Star Joana Sainz Dead at 30 After Pyrotechnic Misfire During Concert

Spanish pop singer Joana Sainz Garcia died early Sunday morning in a tragic accident while performing in Las Berlanas, Spain. The singer was on stage when a pyrotechnic device suddenly exploded. Garcia was 30 years old.

Warning, disturbing footage below.

Sainz was performing with the Super Hollywood Orchestra group at a festival early Sunday morning, reports El Diario Montanes. The explosion forced Sainz to the ground, knocking her unconscious. A doctor and nurse in the audience reportedly rushed to the stage to help Sainz until paramedics arrived. About 1,000 people were in the crowd, and the show was instantly stopped.

Sainz was taken to a nearby hospital, where she was pronounced dead.

“There were two rockets – one that went in the right direction and the other hit the singer in the abdomen,” a witness said, reports The Sun.

“[On behalf of] Prones 1SL agency, that represents the Super Hollywood Orchestra, and all our staff, musicians, assembly, and artists, in general, [we] express our most heartfelt condolences to the family, partner, and friends for the loss of our colleague Joana,” Super Hollywood Orchestra’s promoter, Prones ISL, wrote on Facebook, reports PEOPLE.

The statement continued, “She always showed exemplary behavior, both personal and artistic, in addition to a great human quality. It’s going to be very difficult for all of us to overcome her absence. We will always remember you, Joana. R.I.P.”

Garcia was one of 15 members of the Super Hollywood Orchestra group, which was closing out the festival. Their promoter said they used pyrotechnics more than 2,000 times in shows and this was the first time they had an issue with them.

Prones ISL owner Isidro Lopez said the Civil Guard, Spain’s national law enforcement agency, is investigating the company that made the pyrotechnics and the company that sold the cartridges.

“When loading the cartridge, they put in another material and exploded the iron casing, which [injured] Joana,” Lopez explained.

“Nobody can explain it,”Lopez told the Avila Red news agency. “We have been doing the same [act] for five years.”

Lopez said the fireworks display was not meant to be big, only lasting about 15 to 20 seconds to “give a little show.”

The Las Berlanas government, which organized the festival, issued a statement on Facebook, expressing their condolences.

“From the Municipal Corporation of Las Berlanas and as representatives of the whole town, we want to extend our condolences to the relatives of Joanna, the girl from the Super Hollywood group who died yesterday in our town, as well as to all her groupmates,” the statement read. “We also want to thank… all visitors for their good behavior in those difficult times. Thank you very much DEP Johana Sainz. You are in our memory.”

Sainz was one of the group’s lead singers. She was from the northern port city of Santander, but lived in Suances.

Photo credit: YouTube/Vaya Noticias