Cambodia Water Festival turns tragic with deadly stampede

At least 339 people died in the stampede, according to Prime Minister Hun Sen, who called it a terrible tragedy. The Water Festival has seen troubles in past years.

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Water Festival is a Cambodian traditional festival usually held after harvest during November. The event usually takes place on the Tonle Sap river in front of the Royal Palace in Phnom Penh. Most of the festivals in Cambodia, people go to their home town in country side, but in contrast, during Waster Festival hundreds of thousands of people coming of all around the country to celebrate it in Phnom Penh.

Usually this event only takes place on the street in front of the Royal Palace, but this year is different. The Kok Pich (Diamond Island) about 1km away from the Royal Palace which is newly developed by OCIC Group whose bank my wife works at become the new gathered point that people would celebrate the festival at. The island is about 50m offshore in the Chak Tomouk river connects to the mainland by two bridges. This is enough in normal days but is overcrowded in such a festival. The tragic started when someone shouted that the bridge is collapsing (in fact this is not true), the crowd started to be panic and ran for their lives and finally turned into the deadly stampede. May the souls of the victim rest in peace...

A terrible tragedy. May peace be with the families of the dead.

Here's a link to some photos of the tragedy.

This was a terrible and ridiculously preventable tragedy. As a Cambodian myself I feel terrible for the families involved because in other cases of mass stampedes like this, it is almost always women and children who are the first to get trampled. I'm still shocked by the numbers though, its really an unimaginably horrible situation for anyone to be in. Why were so many people let on to the island in the first place is what I would like to know

350 dead... I thought it would be smaller.

The dead toll rises 375 and injured 700+, numbers provided by live TV.

Semi-Lobster: Koh Pich or Diamond Island (I hope you know what/where it is), as mentioned in my first post, it is a newly developed garden and residential area (residential area is still under develop) is a new attracted tourist site. My local people including my family like this area very much, and we always come here in evening or on holidays.

As announced by the prime minister; declare Nov 25th as a national mourn day. 5 million Riel (around US$1250) for each dead victim, free coffin and transportation to home town, free treatment for wounded.

As for the reason (not confirmed); two guys quarreled on the Diamond bridge (one of the two bridges, the other is named Phoenix bridge). One of the guy were pushed down and stepped on, he shouted something and people nearby understand as the bridge were collapsing and started to be panic and caused to the stampede.

SteelBird said:

The dead toll rises 375 and injured 700+, numbers provided by live TV.

Semi-Lobster: Koh Pich or Diamond Island (I hope you know what/where it is), as mentioned in my first post, it is a newly developed garden and residential area (residential area is still under develop) is a new attracted tourist site. My local people including my family like this area very much, and we always come here in evening or on holidays.

As announced by the prime minister; declare Nov 22nd as a national mourn day. 5 million Riel (around US$1250) for each dead victim, free coffin and transportation to home town, free treatment for wounded.

As for the reason (not confirmed); two guys quarreled on the Diamond bridge (one of the two bridges, the other is named Phoenix bridge). One of the guy were pushed down and stepped on, he shouted something and people nearby understand as the bridge were collapsing and started to be panic and caused to the stampede.

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I haven't been back to Cambodia in some time so Diamond Island didn't really exist last time I was there. I heard about about the two guys fighting to. From what I understand a lot of young people, including university students where there at the time, my dad who has been helping out some University students who were from outside the capital told me that students he had raised money to pay for lodging died. Also now there are more and more reports of the sort of panic going on, police shooting water cannons at people and panicked people grabbing and breaking electrical lines which caused a lot of electrocutions. It seemed that everything that could go wrong did.

Koh Pich (Diamond Island) exists ever since I was not yet born, but it only catch people's eyesight for less than one year after the OCIC has invested and developed the island.

Yes, everything could be avoid if people were less violent, more calm and more self-controlled. No, I can't blame anyone because everything seemed happen beyond control. Since Water Festival were re-organized in 1993, I was there only twice, and never again because it is always too crowded. Many bad things can happen and things may go out of control very easily. This is not the first stampede since 1993. In the mid 1990s (can't remember the exact year) when the Royal Palace was re-opened to the public on King Sihanuk's birthday. The tragedy took some 17 lives and several tens injured.

SteelBird said:

Koh Pich (Diamond Island) exists ever since I was not yet born, but it only catch people's eyesight for less than one year after the OCIC has invested and developed the island.

Yes, everything could be avoid if people were less violent, more calm and more self-controlled. No, I can't blame anyone because everything seemed happen beyond control. Since Water Festival were re-organized in 1993, I was there only twice, and never again because it is always too crowded. Many bad things can happen and things may go out of control very easily. This is not the first stampede since 1993. In the mid 1990s (can't remember the exact year) when the Royal Palace was re-opened to the public on King Sihanuk's birthday. The tragedy took some 17 lives and several tens injured.

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Ah, sorry I was talking about the bridge and development. As an island its always been there. As for blame, I agree, the entire tragedy was at a scale where nobody can really be blamed. All that can be done is to prevent anything like this from happening again.

According to local news, up to the morning of the 24th November 2010, many are still missing. Relatives are seeking for their missing ones at hospitals and river bank near Koh Pich. The island is completely closed and stuff are kept unmoved for further investigation. The Diamond Island is renamed as Death Island by local people.

This is special for Semi-Lobster because he is a Cambodian, he might understand this easier.

Latest news: As of today (2010-Nov-24) Phnom Penh is just like the night before the end of the world. Rumors are afloat all around the sky that today people who were born in the year of Monkey, Tiger and Rat must pray with 2 balsam pear, 1 glass of red Siro and 7 types of fruits. I find myself very difficult to comment on this. When I ask people why they do so and if they don't do what would happen. They answer me that they don't know but because they are believers, so they rather believe it. Last night (Nov 23) people were lighting up incense and candle along the street to pay respect to the victim. This is understandable, something people lighting white candle in western countries. What they do today is simply ridiculous to me.

An unconfirmed news: today morning there was an serious accident on road number 6A that two bus hitting each other and led to several tens death. That might explain why people are afraid that some bad omen is covering their home land.