Washington - One person was killed and at least 15 others were injured Saturday when the main stage collapsed during a heavy storm at a country music festival near the western Canadian city of Edmonton, news reports said.

An unknown number of concent-goers were trapped when the stage at the Big Valley Jamboree fell down in Camrose, Alberta, 95 kilometres south-east of Edmonton, the Calgary Herald reported.

The paper quoted Capital Health spokeswoman Michelle Wilcott as saying an emergency response team was unable to land at the scene of the accident Saturday evening because of the wreckage in the area.

Witnesses were quoted as saying "hail the size of marbles" hit the concert site, forcing the evacuation of the concert site.

They said the hurricane-like storm lashed the area for about an hour before dying down. (dpa)