Witness Reveals VIP Stand at Purwokerto Drift Championship Was Swaying Before Collapse
The VIP grandstand at the 3rd Series of the 2026 National Drift Championship at GOR Satria Purwokerto, Banyumas Regency, reportedly shook several times before finally collapsing on Sunday afternoon, 26 July 2026.
One of the victims, who is also an eyewitness, Agus, said the warning signs were visible from the start of the opening ceremony. According to him, the grandstand began to move while Indonesia Raya and the IMI March were being sung.
“When Indonesia Raya was being sung, it (the grandstand) was already moving, and again during the IMI March. After that, everyone sat down and it seemed stable,” said Agus.
The situation became unstable again when the organisers began throwing merchandise towards the spectators. Many in the crowd stood up, moved around and jostled one another to grab the souvenirs, causing the grandstand to shake once more.
“It started shaking when they were throwing out the merchandise. People came down from the top, everyone was moving, standing up, fighting over the merchandise,” he said.
A short while later, at around 2pm Western Indonesia Time, the VIP grandstand collapsed towards the south. Agus said spectators seated in the southern section suffered the most injuries, as they were crushed beneath other spectators when the structure gave way.
“The stand collapsed towards the south. Those in the southern part of the grandstand were the worst affected. People were piled on top of each other; those at the bottom were struck from above,” he explained.
The incident triggered panic at the venue. Many spectators, children in particular, screamed hysterically after seeing numerous victims lying scattered as a result of the collapse.
Agus said he himself was injured in the incident.
“People were hysterical, especially the children. My teeth were injured,” he said.
The organisers, together with medical personnel, immediately evacuated the victims. Dozens of ambulances arrived at GOR Satria Purwokerto to transport the injured to several hospitals for medical treatment.
As of the time of writing, the number of injured victims was still being tallied. Meanwhile, the cause of the grandstand collapse remains under investigation by the authorities.
The VIP grandstand at the edge of the track collapsed at around 2pm Western Indonesia Time while the 3rd Series of the 2026 National Drift Championship was underway at GOR Satria Purwokerto.
The incident prompted the immediate suspension of the competition. The drifters taking part were asked to halt their activities so that the evacuation of victims could be carried out quickly and safely.