Indiana State Fair Reopens After Sugarland Stage Collapse

The Indiana State Fair re-opened Monday morning -- less than 48 hours after a stage collapsed before a Sugarland concert, killing 5 people.

our editor recommends

Sugarland Concert Stage Collapse: Musicians React to the Tragedy

Sugarland Concert Stage Collapse: An Eyewitness Report

“We come today with hearts that are broken but also hearts that are full,” Governor Mitch Daniels told the silent crowd, according to the New York times.

“There was a hero every 10 feet on Saturday night,” Daniels added. “I cannot tell you how proud I am to be the employee of six and a half million people like that.”

More than 48 people were sent to the hospital after a storm gusted 60 to 70 mph winds. The fairgrounds were closed on Sunday.

As of Monday, the collapsed stage -- "an enormous tangle of metal and flapping tarps," according to the Times -- was roped off with yellow police tape.

The somber memorial service was held on a smaller stage.

State officials are investigating the collapse: if the stage had structural problems, if fair officials moved fast enough to evacuate in light of weather warnings. The severe thunderstorm was issued three hours before the scheduled concert.

Wrote Sugerland's Jennifer Nettles on her website Sunday: "I am so moved. Moved by the grief of those families who lost loved ones. Moved by the pain of those who were injured and the fear of their families. Moved by the great heroism as I watched so many brave Indianapolis fans actually run toward the stage to try and help lift and rescue those injured. Moved by the quickness and organization of the emergency workers who set up the triage and tended to the injured."

"There are no words to process a moment of this magnitude and gravity. There are only prayers for peace in the hearts of the bereft, and prayers of thanksgiving for those who were spared or safe," she continued. "A piece of our heart is left in that grandstand. May God provide peace and healing to the people of Indianapolis."