Cambodia Stampede Claims 345 Lives, Leaves Hundreds Injured
November 23rd, 2010 - 8:15 pm ICT by GDBy Gina Gomez
Phnom Penh, Nov 23, (THAINDIAN NEWS) More than three hundred people are feared to have lost their lives in a stampede at a festival in the Cambodian capital of Phnom Penh. The capital city had played host to the annual Water Festival on Monday which is considered to be one of the most popular events of the nation. However, this year, the festive mood soon turned into one of the biggest tragedies to hit Cambodia in the recent past when a stampede was triggered during the festival on Monday leaving as many as 345 dead while hundreds of others were injured.
Cambodian government has said that a national day of mourning would be observed on Thursday in order to pay tribute to the innocent people who lost their lives in the incident. At the same time, Cambodian officials have divulged that a commission has been established which would look in the matter and ascertain the cause which led to the horrifying incident. While talking about the reason which resulted in the stampede, the municipal police chief of the country told reporters that during the festival, a suspension bridge that was filled with people suddenly started to sway triggering a state of panic among the people which eventually resulted in the incident.
Prime Minister Hun Sen expressed his condolences to the families of the victims of the stampede while describing the incident as the ‘biggest tragedy’ to hit the country since the Khmer Rouge regime. The festival during which the stampede took place is held in the capital city of Phnom Penh in the month of November every year in which people from across the country participate.
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Tags: cambodia, cambodian capital, cambodian government, cambodian officials, condolences, day of mourning, festive mood, gina gomez, hun sen, khmer rouge, khmer rouge regime, month of november, municipal police chief, national day of mourning, phnom penh, stampede, state of panic, suspension bridge, tragedies, water festival