Hundreds killed in Cambodian festival stampede

PHNOM PENH. November 22. KAZINFORM At least 345 people been killed in a stampede during festival celebrations in the Cambodian capital, Phnom Penh, Prime Minister Hun Sen has said; Kazinform refers to BBC News.

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.

The stampede took place on a bridge, which eyewitnesses said had become overcrowded.

Hundreds more people were injured in the crush.

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 said he had ordered an investigation and declared a national day of mourning for later in the week. He ordered all government ministries to fly the nation's flag at half-mast.

Government spokesman Khieu Kanharith told AFP news agency that more than 400 people had been injured.

"Most of the deaths were as a result of suffocation and internal injuries," he said.

Authorities had estimated that more than two million people would attend the three-day festival; Kazinform cites BBC News.

See www.bbc.co.uk for full version.