 Buddhist monks chant prayers for the dead at bridge | |
| Date | 22 November 2010 |
|---|---|
| Time | 21:30 local (14:30 UTC) |
| Location | Diamond Gate Bridge |
| Coordinates | 11°33′22″N104°56′22″E / 11.556011°N 104.939497°E |
| Deaths | 347 |
| Non-fatal injuries | 755+ [1] |
The Phnom Penh stampede occurred on 22 November 2010 when 347 people were killed and another 755 injured in a stampede and crowd crush during the Water Festival celebrations at Diamond Gate Bridge of Diamond Island, in Cambodia. [2]
The stampede occurred at the end of the three-day Water Festival to celebrate the end of the monsoon season and the semiannual reversal of flow of the Tonlé Sap river. [3] [4] [5] 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. [4] Around four million people had attended the festival. [6]
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. [6]
The stampede began at 21:30 local time (14:30 UTC) on a bridge across the river, [3] [7] 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. [6] 347 people died, [2] and upwards of 755 [1] more people were injured, some seriously, and many local hospitals were pushed far beyond capacity by the influx of victims. [5] [8] 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. [2]
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." [9] While trying to get away from the stampede, he said that people pulled down electrical wires, causing more people to die of electrocution. [9] These claims were backed up by one of the doctors treating patients, who said that electrocution and suffocation were the primary causes of death among the casualties, though the government disputed the claims of electric shock. [9]
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. [10]
Information Minister Khieu Kanharith said that the stampede began when panic broke out after several people fell unconscious on the crowded island. [8]
Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen said that "with this miserable event, I would like to share my condolences with my compatriots and the family members of the victims." [6] He ordered an inquiry to be conducted in response to the incident, and declared 25 November to be a day of mourning. [10] The government said that the investigation would be conducted by a special committee that would take evidence and testimony from witnesses to the incident. [11] 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. [12]
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. [13] On 24 November, the government announced it planned to construct a stupa as a memorial to those killed in the incident. [14]
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. [15]
Cambodia is a country in mainland Southeast Asia. It borders Thailand, Laos, Vietnam, the Gulf of Thailand and covers a total area of approximately 181,035 km2 (69,898 sq mi). The country is situated in its entirety inside the tropical Indomalayan realm and the Indochina Time zone (ICT).
The system of transport in Cambodia, rudimentary at the best of times, was severely damaged in the chaos that engulfed the nation in the latter half of the 20th century. The country's weak transport infrastructure hindered emergency relief efforts, exacerbating the logistical issues of procurement of supplies in general and their distribution. Cambodia received Soviet technical assistance and equipment to support the maintenance of the transportation network.
Phnom Penh is the capital and most populous city of Cambodia. It has been the national capital since the French protectorate of Cambodia and has grown to become the nation's primate city and its economic, industrial, and cultural centre. Before Phnom Penh became capital city, Oudong was the capital of the country.
The Mekong or Mekong River is a trans-boundary river in East Asia and Southeast Asia. It is the world's twelfth-longest river and the third-longest in Asia with an estimated length of 4,909 km (3,050 mi) and a drainage area of 795,000 km2 (307,000 sq mi), discharging 475 km3 (114 cu mi) of water annually. From its headwaters in the Tibetan Plateau, the river runs through Southwest China, Myanmar, Laos, Thailand, Cambodia, and southern Vietnam. The extreme seasonal variations in flow and the presence of rapids and waterfalls in the Mekong make navigation difficult. Even so, the river is a major trade route between Tibet and Southeast Asia. The construction of hydroelectric dams along the Mekong in the 2000s through the 2020s has caused serious problems for the river's ecosystem, including the exacerbation of drought.
Cambodia, officially the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country in Mainland Southeast Asia, spanning an area of 181,035 square kilometres, bordered by Thailand to the northwest, Laos to the north, Vietnam to the east, and the Gulf of Thailand to the southwest. The capital and most populous city is Phnom Penh.
Norodom Sihamoni is King of Cambodia. He became King on 14 October 2004, a week after the abdication of his father, Norodom Sihanouk.
Siem Reap is the second-largest city of Cambodia, as well as the capital and largest city of Siem Reap Province in northwestern Cambodia.
Bon Om Touk, also known as the Cambodian Water Festival, is celebrated in late October or early November, often corresponding with the lunar Mid-Autumn Festival. It marks the end of the monsoon season. The festivities are accompanied by dragon boat races, similar to those seen in the Lao Boun Suang Huea festival.
Kandieng is a district in Pursat province, Cambodia. The district capital is at Kandieng town located about 12 km from the Provincial capital Pursat.
Krakor is a district in Pursat province, Cambodia. The district capital is Krakor town located 25 kilometres east of the provincial capital, Pursat town.
Kampong Leaeng is a district (srok) in the north east of Kampong Chhnang province, in central Cambodia. The district capital is Kampong Leaeng town located around 4 kilometres east of the provincial capital of Kampong Chhnang in a direct line. Kampong Leaeng district is the northernmost district of Kampong Chhnang. The district shares a border with Kampong Thom province to north and east. Much of the district is low-lying floodplain and the Tonle Sap river runs through the district roughly from north to south. In the south of the district are two significant mountains. Phnom Chrak Tunling and Phnom Neang Kangrei both over 1000 metres in elevation.
Russey Keo, also spelled as Russei Keo, is a district (khan) in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. This district consists of the northern and north-eastern outskirts of the main city of Phnom Penh, stretching from Khan Sen Sok in the west to the Tonlé Sap River in the east. As of 2019, it is the most populous district of Phnom Penh.
Cambodia has 612 km (380 mi) of 1,000 mm metre gauge rail network, consisting of two lines: one from the capital, Phnom Penh, to Sihanoukville, and another from Phnom Penh to Poipet, on the Thai border. The lines were originally constructed during the time when the country was part of French Indochina, but due to neglect and damage from civil war during the latter half of the 20th century, the railways were in a dilapidated state, and all services had been suspended by 2009. Through rehabilitation efforts by the government of Cambodia, with funding from the Asian Development Bank, Australian Agency for International Development (AusAID), and the Australian company Toll Holdings, freight and limited passenger service returned between Phnom Penh and Sihanoukville by 2016, and passenger service between Phnom Penh and Poipet was fully restored in 2019.
Diamond Island is a satellite city in Phnom Penh on the Mekong and Bassac rivers.
Boeung Kak is an area in Khan Daun Penh and Khan Toul Kourk centrally located in the capital city of Cambodia, Phnom Penh. Until around 2010, it was covered by the largest urban lake in Phnom Penh. Residential areas, businesses, restaurants, hotels, embassies and other local businesses surrounded the area of the lake. Phnom Penh's main railway station formerly sat on its south coast. The lake itself was 90 hectares in area.
Tonlesap Airlines Corp. was an airline with its head office in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. It was a regional carrier operating a scheduled domestic network and regional flights to neighbouring countries. Its main base was Phnom Penh International Airport.
The Chaktomuk Conference Hall is a theatre located in the city of Phnom Penh, Cambodia. The fan-shaped hall is one of the most iconic works of famous Cambodian architect Vann Molyvann and was since its construction in 1961 one of the "landmarks and infrastructures of the newly independent nation".
The following lists events that happened during 2010 in Cambodia.
The COVID-19 pandemic in Cambodia was a part of the ongoing worldwide pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2. The first imported case in Cambodia was detected in Sihanoukville on 27 January 2020. Although a number of imported cases and transmission to direct contacts were confirmed throughout 2020, no community transmission was detected until 29 November 2020. As of July 2021, Phnom Penh has been the most affected province with the majority of infections and deaths. Banteay Meanchey has the second-highest number of infections, whereas Kandal has second-highest number of deaths.
