Footbridge collapse at Mont-Sainte-Anne Convention Centre leaves at least 17 injured

A footbridge collapsed at the Mont-Sainte-Anne Convention Centre Saturday evening, injuring at least 17 people who had gathered as part of the Mountain Bike World Cup.

The incident occurred around 9:30 p.m., during a festive evening organized as part of the competition in Beaupré, northeast of Quebec City, just steps away from the foot of the mountain. 

A long line of people waiting to get inside formed on the footbridge.

"There was music playing, so people started dancing on the walkway," said Marie-France Couture, organizer and executive producer at La Corporation événements d'été de Québec, which is responsible for organizing the event. 

A footbridge leading to the event room gave way, causing a partial breakage of the structure that sent several people crashing to the ground. 

A medical team was immediately deployed to the scene. Those involved in the incident were treated for minor injuries.

The building was quickly evacuated and the evening's events were cancelled, according to Camille Asselin, spokesperson for Mouvement Production, the event's producer.

She added the collapse of the footbridge will have no impact on Sunday's programming and competitions.

An investigation will be launched in order to shed light on the causes and circumstances of the incident.