Heng Sinith / AP
A crowd of Cambodians are pushed onto a bridge on the last day of celebrations of a water festival in Phnom Penh on Monday. Thousands of people celebrating a water festival on a small island in a Cambodian river stampeded Monday evening, killing at least 378.
msnbc.com news services
I am just hearing of the tragic news about the many deaths at the water front yesterday. Many of you have asked if we are OK, and in short 'Yes'! During water festival, we have no school and are away from Phnom Penh. Les and the girls are exploring in Northern Cambodia with about 12 other staff and their family members. I am currently in Korea for a Christian schools international conference (acsi).
Now I should say that I did make an attempt to get to the water front earlier on the weekend but Failed. I tried to get down to the water front on Saturday just to see how busy it is, but I honestly turned around when the crowds were massive. I was still about 1 km away from the water front and I could barely move, and so I decided to give up and turn around and go home. This is looking like a wise decision.
Thanks to many of you for your prayers and concerns.
Below is an article from msnbc I was sent to get information on the tragedy.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/40318112/ns/world_news-asiapacific/
updated 3:52 a.m. ET, Tue., Nov. 23, 2010
Now I should say that I did make an attempt to get to the water front earlier on the weekend but Failed. I tried to get down to the water front on Saturday just to see how busy it is, but I honestly turned around when the crowds were massive. I was still about 1 km away from the water front and I could barely move, and so I decided to give up and turn around and go home. This is looking like a wise decision.
Thanks to many of you for your prayers and concerns.
Below is an article from msnbc I was sent to get information on the tragedy.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/40318112/ns/world_news-asiapacific/
updated 3:52 a.m. ET, Tue., Nov. 23, 2010
Cambodia festival stampede kills hundreds
Thousands of people stampeded during a festival in the Cambodian capital, leaving at least 378 dead and hundreds injured in what the prime minister called the country's biggest tragedy since the 1970s reign of terror by the Khmer Rouge.
A panic-stricken crowd — celebrating the end of the rainy season on an island in a river — tried to flee over a bridge and many people were crushed underfoot or fell over its sides into the water. Disoriented victims struggled to find an escape hatch through the human mass, pushing their way in every direction. After the stampede, bodies were stacked upon bodies on the bridge as rescuers swarmed the area.
Survivors said panic set in when several revelers were electrocuted. Police said some had shouted that the bridge was about to collapse, triggering the melee. The prime minister's special adviser, Om Yentieng, denied the reports of electrocutions and that the panic was sparked by a mass food poisoning.
Ambulances raced back and forth between the river and the hospitals for several hours after the stampede. 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. Relatives, some crying, searched for the missing Tuesday morning.
"I was taken by shock. I thought I would die on the spot. Those who were strong enough escaped, but women and children died ," said Chea Srey Lak, a 27-year-old woman who was knocked over by the panicked crowd on the bridge.
'Calls for help from everywhere'
She managed to escape but described a woman, about 60 years old, lying next to her who was trampled to death by hundreds of fleeing feet.
"There were cries and calls for help from everywhere, but nobody could help each other. Everyone just ran," she said at Calmette Hospital, where she was being treated for leg and hand injuries.
Hours after the chaos, the dead and injured were still being taken away from the scene, while searchers looked for bodies of anyone who might have drowned. Hundreds of shoes were left behind on and around the bridge. An Associated Press reporter saw one body floating in the river.
"This is the biggest tragedy we have experienced in the last 31 years, since the collapse of the Khmer Rouge regime," Prime Minister Hun Sen said, referring to the ultra-communist movement whose radical policies are blamed for the deaths of 1.7 million people during the 1970s.
He ordered an investigation into the cause of the stampede and declared Thursday would be a national day of mourning. Government ministries were ordered to fly the flag at half-staff. He said that the government would pay the families of each dead victim 5 million riel ($1,250) for funeral expenses and provide 1 million riel ($250) for each injured person.
Authorities had estimated that upward of 2 million people would descend on Phnom Penh for the three-day water festival, the Bon Om Touk, which marks the end of the rainy season and whose main attraction is traditional boat races along the river. In this year's event, 420 of the long, sleek boats competed, with crews of up to 80 racers each.
The last race ended early Monday evening, the last night of the holiday, and the panic started later on Koh Pich — Diamond Island — a long spit of land wedged in a fork in the river where a concert and exhibition were being held. It was unclear how many people were on the island to celebrate the holiday, though the area appeared to be packed with people, as were the banks.
Soft drink vendor So Cheata said the trouble began when about 10 people fell unconscious in the press of the crowd. She said that set off a panic, which then turned into a stampede, with many people caught underfoot.
Thousands of people stampeded during a festival in the Cambodian capital, leaving at least 378 dead and hundreds injured in what the prime minister called the country's biggest tragedy since the 1970s reign of terror by the Khmer Rouge.
A panic-stricken crowd — celebrating the end of the rainy season on an island in a river — tried to flee over a bridge and many people were crushed underfoot or fell over its sides into the water. Disoriented victims struggled to find an escape hatch through the human mass, pushing their way in every direction. After the stampede, bodies were stacked upon bodies on the bridge as rescuers swarmed the area.
Survivors said panic set in when several revelers were electrocuted. Police said some had shouted that the bridge was about to collapse, triggering the melee. The prime minister's special adviser, Om Yentieng, denied the reports of electrocutions and that the panic was sparked by a mass food poisoning.
Ambulances raced back and forth between the river and the hospitals for several hours after the stampede. 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. Relatives, some crying, searched for the missing Tuesday morning.
"I was taken by shock. I thought I would die on the spot. Those who were strong enough escaped, but women and children died ," said Chea Srey Lak, a 27-year-old woman who was knocked over by the panicked crowd on the bridge.
'Calls for help from everywhere'
She managed to escape but described a woman, about 60 years old, lying next to her who was trampled to death by hundreds of fleeing feet.
"There were cries and calls for help from everywhere, but nobody could help each other. Everyone just ran," she said at Calmette Hospital, where she was being treated for leg and hand injuries.
Hours after the chaos, the dead and injured were still being taken away from the scene, while searchers looked for bodies of anyone who might have drowned. Hundreds of shoes were left behind on and around the bridge. An Associated Press reporter saw one body floating in the river.
"This is the biggest tragedy we have experienced in the last 31 years, since the collapse of the Khmer Rouge regime," Prime Minister Hun Sen said, referring to the ultra-communist movement whose radical policies are blamed for the deaths of 1.7 million people during the 1970s.
He ordered an investigation into the cause of the stampede and declared Thursday would be a national day of mourning. Government ministries were ordered to fly the flag at half-staff. He said that the government would pay the families of each dead victim 5 million riel ($1,250) for funeral expenses and provide 1 million riel ($250) for each injured person.
Authorities had estimated that upward of 2 million people would descend on Phnom Penh for the three-day water festival, the Bon Om Touk, which marks the end of the rainy season and whose main attraction is traditional boat races along the river. In this year's event, 420 of the long, sleek boats competed, with crews of up to 80 racers each.
The last race ended early Monday evening, the last night of the holiday, and the panic started later on Koh Pich — Diamond Island — a long spit of land wedged in a fork in the river where a concert and exhibition were being held. It was unclear how many people were on the island to celebrate the holiday, though the area appeared to be packed with people, as were the banks.
Soft drink vendor So Cheata said the trouble began when about 10 people fell unconscious in the press of the crowd. She said that set off a panic, which then turned into a stampede, with many people caught underfoot.
2 comments:
Dean, you could have joined us Mon. morning we had an easy access to river front and enjoyed watching boat races from the Kiwi bakery roof top. We were surprised by the relatively quiet and peaceful environment. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VmN05AefaNU
Joyce and I said to each other, "this is something Cambodia can be proud of." Then, we heard this morning the news of stampede and were shocked. A reality check... I also heard of the military tension in Korea. What a timing for you guys visiting there for a few days for the first time! We are all reminded there is really no safe place in this world. Have a good visit and safe trip back. Is the jacket handy?
Gil
We did see a couple of fighter jets in the air but actually did not know about the North Korea attack until later in the evening.
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