FESTIVAL TRÁGICO NO CAMBOJA

CAMBODIA


Festival stampede in Phnom Penh kills at least 345

Cambodia's Prime Minister Hun Sen described as the country's darkest hour since the Khmer Rouge regime the stampede in Phnom Penh that has left at last 345 dead.

Hundreds others were injured after panic erupted at a water festival near Tonle Sap Lake that had attracted millions of revellers.

Dozens of ambulances with their sirens blaring raced to the scene of the incident, which occurred late on Monday on a narrow bridge to an island in Phnom Penh where festivities were being held to mark the end of the annual event.

Prime Minister Hun Sen said it is Cambodia's darkest hour since the Khmer Rouge, whose 1975-1979 rule left up to a quarter of the population dead.

"This is the biggest tragedy since the Pol Pot regime," Hun Sen said in a live television broadcast, referring to the Khmer Rouge's late leader.

He said Cambodia would hold a national day of mourning on Thursday. 'I would like to share my condolences with my compatriots and the family members of the victims,' he said. The prime minister said arrangements would be made for the bodies of out-of-town visitors to be sent home.


Fonte - The Nation - Bangkok, 23 de Novembro de 2010

Um tumulto em uma ponte superlotada de pedestres em Phnom Penh, capital do Camboja, deixou 339 mortos nesta segunda-feira (22), informou o premiê do país, Hun Sen, já na madrugada desta terça.

Cambojanos empurram-se durante tumulto sobre ponte na capital, Phnom Penh, nesta segunda-feira (22). (Foto: AFP).

Segundo ele, há 329 feridos, e o número de vítimas ainda pode aumentar.A maior parte das vítimas morreu por afogamento ou esmagadas no tumulto.O acidente ocorreu enquanto milhões de pessoas ocupavam as ruas da cidade para comemorar o último dia do Festival da Água. Pelo menos 240 das vítimas são mulheres, segundo uma reportagem da TV Estatal, que indicou mais cedo haver 278 mortos.

Na TV estatal, o primeiro-ministro pediu desculpas pelo desastre, apresentou condolências às famílias de vítimas e disse que as causas da tragédia ainda são desconhecidas.

Os corpos foram colocados fora da ponte, que liga Phnom Penh a Diamond Island, uma pequena ilha onde eram realizadas festividades para marcar o final dos três dias do festival anual. Muitas pessoas caíram no rio Tonle Sap durante a confusão, segundo testemunhas.

Dezenas de pessoas estavam reunidas na porta do hospital Calmette da cidade, onde vários feridos eram atendidos.Muitos dos que participavam do festival estavam em lágrimas, afirmou um jornalista da France Presse que acompanhava a celebração.

'Alguém me levantou'

Testemunhas relatam que a confusão começou na ponte mesmo."Estávamos cruzando, quando as pessoas começaram a empurrar do outro lado", disse Kruon Hay, de 23 anos. "Havia muitos gritos e pânico.As pessoas começaram a correr, e caíam uns sobre os outros. Eu também caí. Se sobrevivi, foi porque alguém me levantou. Muitos pularam na água", disse.

"É a maior tragédia que já vimos", disse Sok Sambath, governador de Daun Penh, o distrito em que ocorreu o incidente.Milhares de pessoas se reuniram na capital nos últimos três dias para participar das regatas anuais, de shows e para assistir à queima de fogos de artifício.

O festival anual, um dos maiores e mais exuberantes do Camboja, marca a inversão do fluxo entre os rios Tonle Sap e Mekong.Também é visto como uma forma de agradecer ao rio por ter dotado o país de terras férteis e abundância de peixe.O premiê disse que uma comissão vai ser criada para investigar as causas do acidente.

Fonte: G1




 Phnom Penh festival stampede kills 339

Published: 23/11/2010 at 03:49 AM - Bangkok Post

Online news: Asia

PHNOM PENH: A stampede in the Cambodian capital has left more than 330 people dead after panic erupted at a water festival that had attracted millions of revellers.

Dozens of ambulances with their sirens blaring raced to the scene of the tragedy, which occurred late Monday on a narrow bridge to an island in Phnom Penh where festivities were being held to mark the end of the annual event.

At least 339 people died in the incident, Prime Minister Hun Sen said on television.

"With this miserable event, I would like to share my condolences with my compatriots and the family members of the victims," he said.

Some of the injured seek help after the stampede. (Reuters photo)

Hun Sen said the government would arrange for the bodies of out-of-town visitors to be sent home.

It was not immediately clear exactly what triggered the stampede.

"This needs to be investigated more," Hun Sen said, adding that a committee would be set up to examine the incident.

Witnesses reported people pushing and shoving in the crowd.

"We were crossing the bridge to Diamond Island when people started pushing from the other side. There was lots of screaming and panic," 23-year-old Kruon Hay said at the scene.

"People started running and were falling over each other. I fell too. I only survived because other people pulled me up. Many people jumped in the water," he said.

Sunglasses and flip-flops were left scattered on the ground among lifeless bodies.

Police were seen carrying away some of the victims and bodies were laid in a row on the ground. Many of the dead appeared to be young Cambodians.

"This is the biggest tragedy we have ever seen," said Sok Sambath, governor of the capital's Daun Penh district.

Dozens of people gathered outside the city's Calmette hospital, where at least 105 people were confirmed dead, according to a police officer.

More bodies were taken to other hospitals across the city, he said.

Many festival-goers were left in tears after the tragic end to the three days of boat races, concerts and fireworks.

The annual festival, one of Cambodia's largest and most exuberant, marks the reversal of the flow between the Tonle Sap and Mekong rivers.

It is also seen as a way of giving thanks to the river for providing the country with fertile land and abundant fish.

The event - which saw hundreds of brightly coloured boats take part in races on the Tonle Sap river - is popular with tourists but there were no immediate reports that foreigners were among the victims.

Fonte - Bangkok Post