Hundreds die in Cambodia water festival panic
At least 339 people have been killed in a stampede during festival celebrations in the Cambodian capital, Phnom Penh, according to latest reports.
Huge crowds had gathered on a small island for the final day of the Water Festival, one of the main events of the year in Cambodia.
Panic broke out after a concert on Diamond Island, which followed a boat race on the Tonle Sap river regarded as a highlight of the festivities.
Phnom Penh is due to host the 2011 Asean Tourism Forum in January. It will be held at the Diamond Island Convention and Exhibition Centre.
The stampede took place on a bridge, which eyewitnesses said had become overcrowded, the BBC reported.
Prime minister Hun Sen described the stampede as the "biggest tragedy" to hit Cambodia since the mass killings carried out by the Khmer Rouge regime in the 1970s.
He has ordered an investigation and declared a national day of mourning for later in the week.
Sean Ngu, an Australian who was visiting family and friends in Cambodia, told the BBC too many people had been on the bridge.
"There were too many people on the bridge and then both ends were pushing," he said.
"This caused a sudden panic. The pushing caused those in the middle to fall to the ground, then [get] crushed.
"Panic started and at least 50 people jumped in the river. People tried to climb on to the bridge, grabbing and pulling [electric] cables which came loose and electrical shock caused more deaths."
Ian Jarrett
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