Phnom Penh stampede
Encyclopedia
The Phnom Penh stampede occurred on 22 November 2010 when 347 people were killed in a human stampede
during the Khmer Water Festival
celebrations in the Cambodia
n capital, Phnom Penh
.
season and the semiannual reversal of flow of the Tonlé Sap
river. Initial reports suggest that festival-goers had gathered on Koh Pich ("Diamond Island"), a spit of land stretching into the Tonlé Sap, to watch boat races and then a concert. Around four million people had attended the festival.
It was the third incident in the festival's history resulting in fatalities, though it was by far the worst; five rowers on a boat drowned in 2008, and another drowned in 2009.
) on a bridge across the river, though witnesses said that people had been "stuck on the bridge" for several hours before, and victims were not freed until hours after the actual stampede occurred. 347 people died, and upwards of 755 more people were injured, some seriously, and many local hospitals were pushed far beyond capacity by the influx of victims. At one point, the death toll had been listed as being 456, but on 25 November, the government decreased its official death toll to 347, based on the total put forth by Cambodian minister of social affairs Ith Sam Heng. The death toll has increased to 353 victims.
and suffocation
were the primary causes of death among the casualties, though the government disputed the claims of electric shock.
A journalist from The Phnom Penh Post said that the stampede had occurred due to police forces firing a water cannon
into people on the bridge in an attempt to force them to move off the bridge after it began swaying, which had triggered panic among those on it.
Information Minister Khieu Kanharith
said that the stampede began when panic broke out after several people fell unconscious on the crowded island.
said that "with this miserable event, I would like to share my condolences with my compatriots and the family members of the victims." He ordered an inquiry to be conducted in response to the incident, and declared 25 November to be a day of mourning
. The government said that the investigation would be conducted by a special committee that would take evidence and testimony from witnesses to the incident. The preliminary reports of the investigation, released on 24 November, said that the stampede had been triggered by the swaying of the bridge, which had caused panic among many of those on it.
The government said that it would pay five million riel
, or US$1,250, to the families of each of the dead, as well as paying a million riel ($250) to each of the injured. On 24 November, the government announced it planned to construct a stupa
as a memorial to those killed in the incident.
On 23 November, the day after the incident, around 500 Buddhist
monks visited the site of the stampede to chant prayers for those who had died.
The Cambodian Center for Human Rights (CCHR) announced on December 1 that it would conduct its own independent investigation into the incident at the Koh Pich Bridge. Ou Virak, president of the CCHR, said, "I hope the government will continue the investigation. I don’t think an investigation of one week is enough."
Stampede
A stampede is an act of mass impulse among herd animals or a crowd of people in which the herd collectively begins running with no clear direction or purpose....
during the Khmer Water Festival
Bon Om Thook
Bon Om Tuk , or the Cambodian Water Festival, is a Cambodian festival celebrated in November and marks a reversal of the flow of the Tonle Sap River. Every town and province joins in with the festival but the biggest celebrations take place in Phnom Penh with boat racing along the Sisowath Quay...
celebrations in the Cambodia
Cambodia
Cambodia , officially known as the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country located in the southern portion of the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia...
n capital, Phnom Penh
Phnom Penh
Phnom Penh is the capital and largest city of Cambodia. Located on the banks of the Mekong River, Phnom Penh has been the national capital since the French colonized Cambodia, and has grown to become the nation's center of economic and industrial activities, as well as the center of security,...
.
Background
The stampede occurred at the end of the three-day Water Festival to celebrate the end of the monsoonMonsoon
Monsoon is traditionally defined as a seasonal reversing wind accompanied by corresponding changes in precipitation, but is now used to describe seasonal changes in atmospheric circulation and precipitation associated with the asymmetric heating of land and sea...
season and the semiannual reversal of flow of the Tonlé Sap
Tonlé Sap
The Tonlé Sap is a combined lake and river system of major importance to Cambodia.The Tonlé Sap is the largest freshwater lake in South East Asia and is an ecological hot spot that was designated as a UNESCO biosphere in 1997....
river. Initial reports suggest that festival-goers had gathered on Koh Pich ("Diamond Island"), a spit of land stretching into the Tonlé Sap, to watch boat races and then a concert. Around four million people had attended the festival.
It was the third incident in the festival's history resulting in fatalities, though it was by far the worst; five rowers on a boat drowned in 2008, and another drowned in 2009.
Incident
The stampede began at 21:30 local time (14:30 UTCCoordinated Universal Time
Coordinated Universal Time is the primary time standard by which the world regulates clocks and time. It is one of several closely related successors to Greenwich Mean Time. Computer servers, online services and other entities that rely on having a universally accepted time use UTC for that purpose...
) on a bridge across the river, though witnesses said that people had been "stuck on the bridge" for several hours before, and victims were not freed until hours after the actual stampede occurred. 347 people died, and upwards of 755 more people were injured, some seriously, and many local hospitals were pushed far beyond capacity by the influx of victims. At one point, the death toll had been listed as being 456, but on 25 November, the government decreased its official death toll to 347, based on the total put forth by Cambodian minister of social affairs Ith Sam Heng. The death toll has increased to 353 victims.
Cause
A witness said the cause of the stampede was "too many people on the bridge and...both ends were pushing. This caused a sudden panic. The pushing caused those in the middle to fall to the ground, then [get] crushed." While trying to get away from the stampede, he said that people pulled down electrical wires, causing more people to die of electrocution. These claims were backed up by one of the doctors treating patients, who said that electrocutionElectrocution
Electrocution is a type of electric shock that, as determined by a stopped heart, can end life. Electrocution is frequently used to refer to any electric shock received but is technically incorrect; the choice of definition varies from dictionary to dictionary...
and suffocation
Suffocation
Suffocation is the process of Asphyxia.Suffocation may also refer to:* Suffocation , an American death metal band* "Suffocation", a song on Morbid Angel's debut album, Altars of Madness...
were the primary causes of death among the casualties, though the government disputed the claims of electric shock.
A journalist from The Phnom Penh Post said that the stampede had occurred due to police forces firing a water cannon
Water cannon
A water cannon is a device that shoots a high-pressure stream of water. Typically, a water cannon can deliver a large volume of water, often over dozens of metres / hundreds of feet. They are used in firefighting and riot control. Most water cannon fall under the category of a fire...
into people on the bridge in an attempt to force them to move off the bridge after it began swaying, which had triggered panic among those on it.
Information Minister Khieu Kanharith
Khieu Kanharith
Khieu Kanharith is the Cambodian Minister of Information. Khieu, formerly a newspaper editor, was first elected to the National Assembly of Cambodia in 1981. He was jailed in 1990 for suspicion of dissident activities; in 1991, Hun Sen asked him to serve as an advisor, and in 1992, he was promoted...
said that the stampede began when panic broke out after several people fell unconscious on the crowded island.
Reaction
Cambodian Prime Minister Hun SenHun Sen
Hun Sen is the current Prime Minister of Cambodia.He has been the sole leader of the Cambodian People's Party , which has governed Cambodia since the Vietnamese-backed overthrow of the Khmer Rouge in 1979...
said that "with this miserable event, I would like to share my condolences with my compatriots and the family members of the victims." He ordered an inquiry to be conducted in response to the incident, and declared 25 November to be a day of mourning
Day of Mourning
The Day of Mourning was a day of protest held by Aboriginal Australians on 26 January 1938, the sesquicentenary of British colonisation of Australia...
. The government said that the investigation would be conducted by a special committee that would take evidence and testimony from witnesses to the incident. The preliminary reports of the investigation, released on 24 November, said that the stampede had been triggered by the swaying of the bridge, which had caused panic among many of those on it.
The government said that it would pay five million riel
Cambodian riel
For earlier Cambodian currencies, see Cambodian tical and Cambodian franc.The riel is the currency of Cambodia. There have been two distinct riel, the first issued between 1953 and May 1975. Between 1975 and 1980, the country had no monetary system. A second currency, also named "riel", has been...
, or US$1,250, to the families of each of the dead, as well as paying a million riel ($250) to each of the injured. On 24 November, the government announced it planned to construct a stupa
Stupa
A stupa is a mound-like structure containing Buddhist relics, typically the remains of Buddha, used by Buddhists as a place of worship....
as a memorial to those killed in the incident.
On 23 November, the day after the incident, around 500 Buddhist
Buddhism
Buddhism is a religion and philosophy encompassing a variety of traditions, beliefs and practices, largely based on teachings attributed to Siddhartha Gautama, commonly known as the Buddha . The Buddha lived and taught in the northeastern Indian subcontinent some time between the 6th and 4th...
monks visited the site of the stampede to chant prayers for those who had died.
The Cambodian Center for Human Rights (CCHR) announced on December 1 that it would conduct its own independent investigation into the incident at the Koh Pich Bridge. Ou Virak, president of the CCHR, said, "I hope the government will continue the investigation. I don’t think an investigation of one week is enough."