Germany: Stampede in Love Parade fest kills 19

Duisburg, Jul 26:The Love Parade techno music festival in Germany turned into a scene of tragedy when a stampede broke out killing as many as 19 people and injuring over 300.

The stampede reportedly broke out when people walking through a 600 meter-long tunnel that led towards the festival panicked.

Rescue workers were quickly rushed to the spot. The workers had to not only fight the crowd but also had to carry on the rescue while the music played on, making it a tougher task.

“Considering all the security aspects, the crisis staff of the city decided not to immediately end the festival," said Duisburg security official Wolfgang Rabe, adding that this decision was taken to avoid further panic.

Responding to the incident, German president Christian Wulff dubbed the stampede as "dreadful".

It is still unclear as to what triggered off the panic that led to the stampede.

“The question 'Why this happened?" must be answered. This accident is so horrible it is impossible to grasp," said the mayor of Duisburg, Adolf Sauerland.

Following the rescue operations, bodies of the dead and the injured were lined up.

On seeing this, founder of the Love Parade, Rainer Schaller announced that this was the end of Love Parade.

"The Love Parade was always a peaceful and joyous party that will now forever be overshadowed by the tragic events. Out of respect for the victims, families and friends, we will discontinue the festival. The Love Parade is no more," the founder said.

OneIndia News