PHNOM PENH, Cambodia – The Catholic Church in Cambodia planned a special Mass for victims of a bridge stampede during the Water Festival on Diamond Island in Phnom Penh, reported the Asian church news agency UCA News.
The chaos Nov. 22 that killed more than 375 people and injured at least 755 was seen as the biggest tragedy for Cambodians since the Pol Pot regime, said Prime Minister Hun Sen. The government announced it will give 5 million riel ($1,230) to each family of the dead for transporting the bodies. It also scheduled Nov. 25 as a national day of mourning.
Catholic Church officials said they would offer a special Mass for the dead Nov. 25 at Psataught Church in the capital.
Caritas Cambodia is on standby if further help is needed, said Sok Sakhan, disaster management officer, noting the injured were being treated by the government and at various hospitals.
Chhem Chhean, a 25-year-old victim, said all she remembered amid the concerts, boat races and fireworks was that people started pushing each other to get away from the bridge.
The cause of the tragedy is unclear.
The Associated Press reported that most of the dead had suffocated or been trampled or crushed to death on the bridge, which became so tightly packed that survivors later said they had been unable to move or even to breathe. AP reported that some of the dead had drowned or were killed when they leaped from the bridge into the water of the Bassac River or onto nearby concrete pilings.
The Water Festival on Diamond Island, located in the confluence of Cambodia’s four main rivers in Phnom Penh, is an annual event for Cambodians.
2 comments:
Don't needs the fucking Catholic Church to Pray shit it doesn't works Cambodian people doesn't believe in Catholic Church Ok. Only the smallest stupid groups does.
Your Majesty Samdech Ta former King Norodom Sihanouk,
Prime Minister Samdech Hun Sen,
Thank you for your both kindness and understanding.
What we need is prevention methods, not to let this type of accident happen again in the future.
It also makes me very worried to see so much alcohol allowed to enter or be produced in our beloved Kingdom of Cambodia? What about “ YA BA “ and other types of DRUGS from Thailand and Vietnam?
Can His Majesty Samdech Ta and Samdech Hun Sen stop all sorts of drugs coming to Cambodia? The accident may not be related to drugs and alcohol but just some thing that I could not sleep peacefully from now on to the future, in the names sake of true Khmer citizen.
Can Samdech Hun Sen kindly ask all 5 million Vietnamese illegal immigrants to peacefully return to Vietnam, so Koh Pich will not be too crowded more and more every day, every month and every year to come.
All Vietnamese illegal immigrants can easily come in and settle inside Cambodia even though they already have their own country Vietnam.
When Cambodia is too crowded, definitely we Khmer people can not go to settle inside Vietnam, can we?
Please Vietnamese, you said you came to rescue us from Pol Pot, and you don’t want to return home, it is not right according to 23rd October 1991 Paris Peace Agreement, can all of you go back to your country now.
Vietnamese illegal immigrants, you see because 5 million of you are inside Cambodia, it makes us too crowded and we wasted our lives at Koh Pich without good reasons.
Your Vietnamese Communism expansionist mind in Cambodia, is to give an excuse to China mainland to occupy your Spratly Islands, Parcel Islands, the whole of your Eastern sea border and perhaps the Northern border sooner or later.
5 million Vietnamese illegal immigrants in Cambodia, please go back home to defend your country from Chinese mighty economic invasion.
May I pray to God and the Lord Jesus Christ that those who have lost loved one will be comforted.
My condolences to all the victim's family.
Regards,
Kulen Monorom
(The rice farmer's son)
Post a Comment