Sky News
At least 339 people have died in a stampede at Phnom Penh's annual Water Festival celebrations, Cambodia's prime minister has said.
Thousands of Cambodians were on the streets to mark the end of the festival when the crowd rushed onto a bridge, an official told AFP news agency.
Up to two million people had been expected to attend the festival's close, where the main attraction is a traditional boat race along the Tonle Sap river.
The panic had started on Koh Pich - Diamond Island, a long spit of land in the river where a concert was being held.
Prime Minister Hun Sen made several live television broadcasts after midnight, giving a preliminary death toll of 181 that he later increased to 190 and then to 339.
The website of the newspaper Kampuchea Thmey had already quoted General Sao Sokha, chief of the military police, as saying the death toll could be close to 300, according to information from four hospitals to which bodies were taken.
A drink seller at the concert, So Cheata, told reporters that 10 people had fallen unconscious as the crowd surged, setting off a panic that became a stampede.
According to witnesses, the panic was made worse as the crowd rushed to cross the bridge and people fell into the water.
-
0 comments:
Post a Comment