Government investigation finds that many on the bridge wrongly feared it was about to collapse
- Associated Press
- guardian.co.uk, Wednesday 24 November 2010
A police officer lays flowers at the site of the stampede in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. Photograph: Chor Sokunthea/REUTERS
A stampede that killed more than 350 people in Cambodiawas triggered by the swaying of a bridge crowded with thousands of people, according to a government investigation.
Crowds celebrating a water festival had flocked to an island for a free concert on Monday and spilled on to a bridge to the mainland before the panic took hold. Bayon TV, which serves as a mouthpiece for the government, reported today that a committee found many people on the bridge were from the countryside and unaware it was normal for a suspension bridge to sway. In their fear it was collapsing, they tried to run off.
The information minister, Khieu Kanharith, said today that the official death toll was 351, with 395 injured.
The prime minister, Hun Sen, described the stampede as the biggest tragedy since the Khmer Rouge’s reign of terror, which killed an estimated 1.7 million people in the late 1970s. He declared tomorrow a day of national mourning.
As many as two million people are believed to have come to Phnom Penh for celebrations of a three-day holiday marking the end of the monsoon season. Tens of thousands were on an island in the capital’s Bassac river.
Thousands of Cambodians today lit candles and made offerings to appease the souls of those who perished.
“ I asked their souls to rest in peace and not to be angry with those still alive in the capital, especially my family members and relatives,” said Meng Houth, a 52-year-old woman who laid out food and burned incense and a candle in front of her home.
Witnesses had criticised authorities for causing congestion by blocking a second bridge across the river despite the huge crowds that had gathered for the last night of the festival, and for a slow and confused emergency response.
The investigating committee, which included cabinet ministers and city officials, said the panic was exacerbated by the fact that people had trouble breathing because they were so closely packed together. It estimated that 7,000-8,000 people were on the bridge, adding up to a load of about 350 tonnes.
The report said the committee based its conclusions on investigations and the testimony of witnesses.
Before the stampede erupted, those present heard shouts that the bridge was going to collapse, igniting the panic that also saw people jump off the sides into the water.
The information minister, Khieu Kanharith, said today that the official death toll was 351, with 395 injured.
The prime minister, Hun Sen, described the stampede as the biggest tragedy since the Khmer Rouge’s reign of terror, which killed an estimated 1.7 million people in the late 1970s. He declared tomorrow a day of national mourning.
As many as two million people are believed to have come to Phnom Penh for celebrations of a three-day holiday marking the end of the monsoon season. Tens of thousands were on an island in the capital’s Bassac river.
Thousands of Cambodians today lit candles and made offerings to appease the souls of those who perished.
“ I asked their souls to rest in peace and not to be angry with those still alive in the capital, especially my family members and relatives,” said Meng Houth, a 52-year-old woman who laid out food and burned incense and a candle in front of her home.
Witnesses had criticised authorities for causing congestion by blocking a second bridge across the river despite the huge crowds that had gathered for the last night of the festival, and for a slow and confused emergency response.
The investigating committee, which included cabinet ministers and city officials, said the panic was exacerbated by the fact that people had trouble breathing because they were so closely packed together. It estimated that 7,000-8,000 people were on the bridge, adding up to a load of about 350 tonnes.
The report said the committee based its conclusions on investigations and the testimony of witnesses.
Before the stampede erupted, those present heard shouts that the bridge was going to collapse, igniting the panic that also saw people jump off the sides into the water.
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