Blinded by the lights

Nasty accident - albeit accident as in "someone royally screwing up" - at a rave at the Aquamarine Music Festival. It appears that because of wet weather, a canopy had been put over the dancefloor, leading to the decision to point the decorative lasers into raver's eyes instead of up in the sky:

Twenty people are undergoing treatment in Moscow hospitals, said Elena Grishina, the head doctor at the Moscow Ophthalmological Hospital, the RIA-Novosti news agency reported Monday.

"It is just a deterioration in the sharpness of the eyesight, not a burn," she was quoted as saying, and said she could not confirm the injuries came from lasers.

"The treatment is not very pleasant. It involves a lot of needles," Grishina said. "But all the patients are in optimistic spirits, and we are hoping for a good result."

The rave - according to Russian state media - had been illegally organised; some ravers are planning legal action.