Hundreds Injured and 378 Die in Cambodian Festival

More than 300 people died during the celebration of a water festival in the Cambodian

capital. The town was celebrating the end of the rainy season and on the last day of the

festival a crowd was pushed on a bridge. Panic spread among the Cambodians and many of them

were stepped on while others fell into the water.

The image was horrific and described as a pyramid of human bodies by witnesses. This accident

was described by Prime Minister as the most horrifying tragedy since the Communist reign in

Cambodia.
Thousands of people stampeded during a festival in the Cambodian capital Monday, leaving at

least 349 dead and hundreds of other people injured. A panic-stricken crowd of revellers

marking the end of the rainy season on an island in a river tried to flee over a narrow

bridge and many people were crushed underfoot or fell over its sides into the water.
Thousands of pairs of shoes scattered across the bridge, leaving barely a metre of empty

space on the road — and as I walked through the blood-soaked pavement I realized this was a

much bigger tragedy than I could have ever imagined.

Prime Minister Jun Sen said, “This is the biggest tragedy we have experienced in the last 31

years.” He declared Thursday to be a “national day of mourning” and has “ordered in

investigation into the cause of the stamped”. Also, he requested the government to cover

funeral expenses and financial expenses for those injured.

Touch Naroth, City police chief, stated on state TV, “This is a lesson for all of us.” He

also said “investigators are still trying to determine the cause.”

Rescuers continued their search Tuesday along the Bassac River, looking for people that may

have drowned. Hundreds were injured and so far, 378 have been fou