Tuesday, November 23, 2010

Cambodia stampede: 'Bodies stacked upon bodies' in Phnom Penh tragedy

Crowd panicked while crossing a bridge and were crushed underfoot on the final day of the Water Festival

Monday 22 November 2010
Haroon Siddique
guardian.co.uk

More than 300 people were killed and hundreds injured tonight after a stampede broke out among crowds taking part in a festival in the Cambodian capital.

People panicked as they tried to make their way over a densely packed bridge and many were crushed underfoot or fell over the sides during the final day of the Water festival, one of the main events of the year in Cambodia. One witness who arrived shortly after the stampede said there were "bodies stacked on bodies".

Describing the chaos as the "biggest tragedy" to strike his country since the killings under the Khmer Rouge's reign of terror in the 1970s, the prime minister, Hun Sen, said that 339 people had been killed and 329 injured. State television said at least 240 of the dead were women, according to reports from two city hospitals.

Ambulances raced back and forth between the river and the hospitals for several hours after the stampede, as the dead and injured were taken away from the scene, which was littered with hundreds of shoes left behind by the living and the dead. Rescuers also looked in the darkness for the bodies of the drowned.

Amid desperate scenes at Calmette hospital, Phnom Penh's main medical facility, wards were filled to capacity with bodies as well as patients, some of whom had to be treated in hallways. One doctor said the two major causes of death were suffocation and electrocution.

But despite suggestions that some of the dead had been electrocuted by the lights on the bridge, the Cambodian government insisted that no one was electrocuted. Many of the injured were badly hurt, raising the prospect that the death toll could rise as hospitals became overwhelmed.


In the third of three post-midnight live television broadcasts, the prime minister said that he had ordered an investigation and declared that Thursday would be a national day of mourning.

A Cambodian embassy official in Washington said that 4 million people had descended on Phnom Penh for the three-day water festival, which marks the end of the rainy season and whose main attraction is the traditional boat races.

The last race ended early on 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 was being held. Seeking to escape the island, part of the crowd pushed on to a bridge, which also jammed up, with people falling under others and into the water.

25 comments:

Anonymous said...

It is time to help these fellow Cambodian first.

But do not forget to prevent more Khmer from being more killed by corruption .

Koh pich brigde is not standard because of corruption .

So Koh Pich bridge is an incident .

But corruption of building Koh Pich is not an accident it is one of dirty million plans Hun Sen master to kill the whole Khmer people and society.

Anonymous said...

If Hun Sen has real sympathy for Khmer victims of Koh Pich bridge Hun Sen must take full responsible by stepping down otherwise stop this crocodile tear .

But I am sure you will not step down or have real sympathy for Khmer people otherwise you would not do land eviction brutally at Dai Krahom, Bueng Kak, Hand Grenade attacked in 1997, Huge demonstration against fraud election results in 1998.

You are a tool of Indochina Federation.

Anonymous said...

I offer my deepest condolences to the victims and their families. So sad to see this. Imagine if we or our kids were among them ?

Anonymous said...

This stampede is the biggest unprecedent tragedy for Khmer nation, but it is really good news for Sam Rainsy Party and its stupid supporters to politicise this incident to get a cheap political score. SRP is a biggest virus for Cambodian society.

Sam Rainsy will have a party and cheer up with this incident in Cabramatta, Western Sydney Australia.

Sam Rainsy Party (Cadle Light)

Anonymous said...

Wow, Hun Sen is really manipulating the history. "Prime Minister Hun Sen called it the "biggest tragedy since the Pol Pot regime." While the comparison is extreme – the Khmer Rouge caused the deaths up to 2 million people in the late 1970s – this is the most deadly incident at a festival plagued by repeated problems".

The fact is this is the biggest tradegy afer K-5!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Anonymous said...

7:53 AM,

Is sore looser!!!

Anonymous said...

Koh Pich Bridge is an incident.

But Koh Pich Bridge is not standard because of corruption.

So the corruption of Koh Pich Bridge construction is not and incident.

It is a long plan to kill Khmer people by outspreading corruption from top to bottom in Cambodia to kill and weaken Khmer people.

Anonymous said...

Is this a mini VINH TE canal tragedy in 2010???

Anonymous said...

This is should be a sad day for all Cambodian this should not be a day to blame anyone for this tragedy 7:45 AM.My deepest condolences to victims and their families.

Anonymous said...

ខ្មែរសព្វថ្ងៃខ្លាចបាក់ស្បាតអស់ទៅហើយ..!

គ្រាន់តែយួនបង្អើលតែបន្ដិច ក៏ផ្អើលរត់ជាន់គ្នាងាប់
និងរបួស រាប់មិនអស់ទៅហើយ...!

តើប្រជាពលរដ្ឋខ្មែរដែលរងគ្រោះដោយសារយួនបន្លាចនេះ
គិតយ៉ាងណាទៅវិញ?

Source: PPenh
341 dead 335 injured and continue to count...

Anonymous said...

អាឆ្កែកញ្ជះយួនបីក្បាល ហ៊ុន សែន, ហេងសំ រិន, ជាស៊ីម
បើគ្មានសមត្តភាពទេ ល្មមចុះចេញទុកឱ្យ លោកសម រង្ស៊ី
ធ្វើម្ដងហើយ។

Anonymous said...

7.53AM

Man, I am so familiar with your reasoning. As always, you never fail to deflect something ill about your CPP and its dog Hun Xen onto the SRP. You are always talking about yourself, Khmer in Sydney CBA.

I will see you in Cabramatta soon. I hope none of your relative was in the Calmette morgue.

Anonymous said...

You know what! It's gotta be the Youn cops who did this! FUCKEN VIET GOOKS WHO ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR THIS! WE NEED TO CUT AH KWACK'S HEAD!

Anonymous said...

Y HUN XIN N HIS CRONIES LIES....!SUFFOCATION N ELECTROCUTION!!!

Anonymous said...

Because Khmers are so stupid and that is it. Eat more brain food, animals. Next life don't be Khmer.

Anonymous said...

Koh pich brigde is not standard because of corruption .

So Koh Pich bridge is an incident .

But corruption of building Koh Pich is not an accident it is one of dirty million plans Hun Sen master to kill the whole Khmer people and society.
So corruption under Hun Sen master plan is very good weapon to weaken Khmer people and Khmer society to it is easy for Yuon communist to put Lao and Cambodia under it yoke.
So corruption under Hun Sen regime has been a good weapon to kill Khmer .
So corruption under Hun Sen is very dangerous for Khmer people.
So corruption under Hun Sen is to poison, to weaken Khmer people.

So Khmer must understand that corruption in Asian countries is normal and everywhere but corruption under Hun Sen ‘s Yuon master they have real goal and that goal is to swallow Cambodia as they did to Lao, and to achieve their goal to swallow Cambodia is to make the owner of the country ( Khmer ) weak and one of those dirty working tricks is corruption.

Anonymous said...

If Hun Sen has real condolence for Khmer victims of Koh Pich bridge Hun Sen must take full responsible by stepping down otherwise stop this crocodile tears .

But I am sure you will not step down or have real sympathy for Khmer people otherwise you would not do land eviction brutally at Dai Krahom, Bueng Kak, Hand Grenade attacked in 1997, Huge demonstration against fraud election results in 1998.

You are a tool of Indochina Federation.

Anonymous said...

Koh Pich bridge must change its name to corrupted bridge.

Because Koh Pich bridge is not standard becasueit is builded with corruption.

So corruption is a good weapon for Hun Sen to kill Khmer people.

Anonymous said...

Dear Khmer compatriot brothers and sisters,
I fill very sorry for the incident at Koh Pich that Khmer have been suffering again and again; I wish Khmer stop having the tragedies like this from now on. However, what I can see, if Yourn are still behind Hun Sen government, used Hun Sen ‘s hands to help killing Khmer in many different ways like that, Khmer never stop being suffered. This happening, at Koh Pich, is not the final tragedy for Khmer citizen. I do not believe that it is a real accident disaster; it has to have somebody plan to work on it to kill Khmer citizen for weakening us. If my view is correct, you will see Khmer will have a lot more tragedies than this in the near future. Therefore in order to stop something happen like this is to Pull Hun Sen and his clans out of the government (it does not meter how we do it) and change its structure and policies.

Anonymous said...

we viet nam believe Hun Sen- CPP and the last is the KING Sihanomi did a good job and a good leaders. they are working hand in hand. They are a good leaders and good followers to our instructions.

Also thanks to all our vietnamese brothers and sisters who sacrify their family to work in all level of officials in cambodia to keep it part of viet nam.

we also want to thank His Excellency Dr. Phay Siphan, SOK Siphana and SARIN DENORA for their lips services and manipulation of international communities to support us..

Long live Viet Nam

Anonymous said...

Long shit vietnam.

Anonymous said...

How about 1997 coup Hun Xen! and some of the victime get skined like animal????? Fuck you ah Kwackm and may sickness take the lier!Q!!

Anonymous said...

this is planned by Hun Sen and Youn....

Anonymous said...

Ye, fuck your mother too

Kulen Monorom said...

Your Royal Highness Samdech Ta,

Prime Minister Samdech Hun Sen,


Thank you for your both kindness and understanding.

What we need is prevention method, not to let this type of accident happen again in future.

It also make me very worry to see so much alcohol allowed to enter or produced in our beloved Kingdom of Cambodia? What about “ YA BA “ from Thailand? Can Samdech Ta and Samdech Hun Sen stop all sort of drugs coming to Cambodia? The accident may not related to drugs and alcohol but just some thing that I could not sleep peacefully from now to the future in the name sake of Khmer citizen.

May almighty God Jesus Christ accept all the victim souls into heaven too.

My condolences to all the victim's family.

Regards,

Kulen Monorom
(The rice farmer's son)