Falls Organisers Promise Investigation Into Crowd Crush

Falls Co-Producer Jessica Ducrou has said that an investigation into the cause of the crowd crush that injured over 60 people at the Lorne leg of the festival is "our utmost priority".

In a statement released by Ducrou today, she described the tragic event as leaving organisers "completely devastated" and blamed "a confluence of events" for the crowd crush.

The statement continued: "We are beyond shattered that a number of our festival patrons were injured and impacted by this event."

Ducrou added, "Patron safety is of paramount importance to us and having to address such a serious situation is very distressing for all.

"Despite 24 years of successful operation of Falls Lorne, a confluence of events resulted in a serious incident that will require an investigation into the various contributing factors which will take some weeks to determine."

An apology to victims of the crush was also included in the statement: "To those that were affected, on behalf of The Falls Festival, we would like to apologise and let you know that we are deeply upset by this incident and your experience."

The statement also pointedly mentioned 'clearing up' what Ducrou described as "misinformation that has been appearing in the media."

Stressing that the Lorne festival "has had an impeccable safety record for the past 24 years," Ducrou's statement went on to list the security measures they had in place for the Grand Theatre stage where the crush took place. That included 15 security guards, a permanent medical structure 100m from the theatre and the presence of emergency services such as Ambulance Vic and Police.

Ducrou added that they are currently trying to make contact with any patrons who were injured, "For those of you affected, we would ask you to message us via patroninfo@fallsfestival.com or our Falls Facebook page, so we can get in touch with you."