Love Parade stampede : Death toll rises to 19

Love Parade stampede : Death toll rises to 19

  July 26, 2010    Pradeep Padma

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 A stampede occurred at the ‘Love Parade’ techno music festival in Germany on Saturday killed at least 19 people and injured more than 340. The incident happened in an entrance tunnel to a former rail station in the West German city of Duisburg where the event was held. The Europe's biggest electronic music event drew about 1.4 million people from all over Europe, most in the age group of 18-26. 

The festival was cancelled not immediately fearing an abrupt halt could spark a second panic. Organizers’ finally cancelled the event in late evening hours after the deaths.

 According to the head of emergency task force, some of the participants tried to enter the area by climbing a fence along a ramp and then felled and the overcrowding increased the death rate.

The Love Parade is a popular electronic dance music festival. It was originated in 1989 in West Berlin, Germany. The event was considered as a political demonstration for peace and international understanding through love and music. Compared to other music concerts, the Love Parade is seen to be louder and more crowded. The variety of the event is that the parade consists of the sound trucks sponsored by techno related field such as clubs, labels or stores.

The motto of Love Parade 2010 is 'The Art of Love'. The Love Parade2009, planned to be held at Bochum, was cancelled last year. The stampede prompted the organizer Rainer Schaller to declare an end to the mega festival. Investigations are going onto find out how the mass panic occurred.