A crane handler who joked about rigging Beyonce's stage so it would crash around her in San Diego, California has apologized to the singer.

Austin Zamora was setting up lights for the Halo singer's Thursday night (12May16) concert when he decided to film the action in a video which quickly went viral.

In the footage a sidekick complimented Austin on his talents and then added, "But make it so it collapses on her". Zamora foolishly replied, "I wish it would".

The independent subcontractor's family business was quickly inundated with angry phone calls and death threats from irate Beyonce fans, prompting Austin to issue an apology on Instagram.

He wrote: "I would like to apologize for my comment... I misspoke and obviously everybody should be aware that what you say whether you mean it or not has consequences.

"First person I would like to apologize to is @beyonce family and fans. I would never do anything in my life that would cause anyone harm. I truly am sorry for my bad judgment."