Hundreds killed in Cambodian festival stampede

http://www.timesofearth.com/Worldnews/?NT=0&nid=30115 PHNOM PENH, Cambodia - At least 339 people have been killed in a stampede at a water festival on a small Cambodian island, the country's prime minister has said.

The crush occurred on the island of Koh Pich following a traditional boat race along the Tonle Sap river on Monday evening.

Speaking in a live television broadcast, Hun Sen, the prime minister, said the incident was one of the country's worst disasters.

"This is the biggest tragedy since the Pol Pot regime," he said, referring to the leader of the brutal regime that ruled the country between 1975 and 1979 and left up to a quarter of the population dead.

Hun Sen declared Thursday would be a national day of mourning, and ordered all government ministries to fly the flag at half-mast.

So Cheata, a soft drink vendor, said the trouble began when 10 people fell unconscious in the crush of the crowd. She said that caused a panic, which then turned into a stampede. Many people were trampled.

Part of the crowd pushed onto a bridge, which also jammed up, with people falling under others and off the bridge. So Cheata said hundreds of hurt people were left lying on the ground afterwards.

Authorities had estimated that more than three million people could descend on the capital, Phnom Penh, for the three-day water festival. Koh Pich is in the middle of Phnom Penh.

Yin Soeum, a local journalist, told AFP news agency the cause of the incident was not clear.

"I heard a rumour that there was a group of people moving towards a bridge that collapsed," he said.

"But another rumour says there was a group of gangsters that got into a fight in the middle of a crowd of people, which made everyone panic and run around."

Calmette Hospital, the capital's main medical facility, was filled to capacity with bodies as well as patients, some of whom had to be treated in hallways.

Many of the injured appeared to be badly hurt, raising the prospect that the death toll could rise as local hospitals became overwhelmed.

Police and other emergency services were unable to immediately provide more details, saying they were too busy attending to the injured.

A district governor said that the incident was the festival's "biggest tragedy" ever.

"This is the biggest tragedy we have ever seen," said Sok Sambath, governor of Daun Penh district.

Cambodia is one of the region's poorer countries, and has an underdeveloped health system, with hospitals barely able to cope with daily medical demands.

Category:

News & Politics

Tags:

• Cambodia
• Water
• Festival
• Cambodian
• stampede
• Phnom
• Penh

[aortatitianaleoj]

lol watch?v=R02tbrZSO3I

[Drobstar]

Yes. The police is useless. And no one will be hold responsible. Hun sen and friends.... sit deep in their seats. Safety? would cost money. Water festival is a day to make money...

[EMPIRE0FLIES]

News says that some victims were electrocuted while others were suffocated. The story of police using water cannons to move the crowd while accidentally coming in contact with the lights and electrocuting them fits.

[UzumakiYuna15]

@soucorp Actually it's 5 millions Riel ($1,250) and 1 million Riel ($250) for the injured.

[totoloveud]

so scare when i saw that cus am at that place too ý'all can u think a weigh over 100kg and lay over u ...and u have no oxygen how can u sta a alive ?? am so lucky that am not dead :'(

[Matre88]

@soucorp only 1000?!

[kashavit]

The situation can happens because of some small group of teen who prefers to scare people away to make way for them or they just push forward to make way for themselves or their group of friends to pass through. This could be one of the factor based on one of the survivor from the stampe said.

[yayaluluhot]

i can't stop crying when i watch this video... so sad for Cambodian..

[101smuh]

it shouldn't be happened.. either it was govt's mistake or other institutions..

[Azngril3595]

thats sad :(