Stampede at the Love Parade 2010: 21 killed, many injured

[Kirsten]

What was meant to be a peaceful music event ended in a tragedy: 19 people lost their lives at the Love Parade in Duisburg/Germany on Saturday when the place became too overcrowded, they were literally run over. About 350 visitors were injured.

The Love Parade has a long tradition in the German techno culture, but yesterday the organizer announced that from now on, it will never take place again.

Stampede at German Love Parade festival kills 19
Eyewitness accounts: Duisburg stampede
In pictures: Duisburg stampede

I think this is just terrible! Go figure, all these people went there to have a great day, and now they lost their lives...

[Miss Z]

Awful. I can't believe the amount of injured people too, must have been one heck of a stampede.

[Randi]

I saw it on the news, Kirsten. It is so sad. We had a similar thing happen here 10 years ago, at Roskilde Festival. A tragedy! I used to go there the first few years, but not anymore.

Festival crush victims remembered


Festival-goers stunned by the deaths


A memorial service has been held in Denmark for the eight people killed at one of Europe's leading music festivals. About 1,200 people attended the 50-minute service at a local cathedral in Roskilde, with many sobbing and holding each other as they sat in the pews.
Among those at the service were many festival-goers, some wearing jeans and shoes covered in mud.
Police say the victims suffocated to death when they were crushed by a panicking crowd during a performance by the American rock band Pearl Jam at the Roskilde festival on Friday.
Show goes on
Despite the deaths, the festival has continued on schedule, with many of the bands dedicating their performances to the dead and injured.

Victims remembered by a minute's silence

But British bands Oasis and the Pet Shop Boys pulled out of the festival on Saturday as a mark of respect.
Festival organisers said the money that was to have been used to pay the bands would be donated to a fund to support the families of the victims.
At the site of the festival, letters and flowers were tucked into the barbed wire on the barrier in front of the stage in remembrance of those killed.
A makeshift memorial of flowers and candles, to the side of the area, which was cordoned off for much of Saturday, has been fenced in.
Organisers, who prided themselves on having one of the safest festivals of its kind, said they had taken all possible security measures and defended the decision not to end the four-day event early.
Drugs and drink
As Pearl Jam played just before midnight on Friday, fans began pushing forward to get closer to the stage.

Eight people were crushed to death

Band members shouted to the crowd of about 50,000 to move back and halted the performance when that did not happen.
The grounds at the annual festival near Roskilde were muddy after a day of rain.
The victims, all men, slipped or fell in front of the stage and were trampled.
Roskilde's deputy police commissioner, Bendt Runstroem, said some members of the audience had been "over-excited".
"We can never give a 100% guarantee that there will be no accidents when you have crowds like this in a festival of this sort, and groups of young people who have drunk too much or taken drugs," he said.
First held in 1971, Roskilde, west of the capital, Copenhagen, was inspired by the 1969 Woodstock Festival.
This year the event attracted about 100,000 fans, mostly from northern Europe.

[Catty1]

It was all over the news here, for several days. Devastating and tragic...I felt so sad for people and their families, it was just supposed to be a day of fun.

When I first heard the name of the festival, I thought it was "Luft" - but Love, however ironic a name, is what I wish for all that suffered and lost those dear to them.

[lvpets2002]

Yes I heard about that && it was such a tragedy.. Sad Sad

[momcat]

Hi Kirsten, This tragic event was on our news over the weekend. The film clips were absolutely frightening. It's hard to know quite what to say especially over the loss of life. How sad that a celebration of peace has to end in such a sad way.

[Barbara]

It sounds as if there has been a serious lack of security. If a rather small town (about 100.000 inhabitants) gets more than 1 million visitors you would expect the responsibles to be careful. This story makes me angry.

[lizbud]

It sounds as if there has been a serious lack of security. If a rather small town (about 100.000 inhabitants) gets more than 1 million visitors you would expect the responsibles to be careful. This story makes me angry.

I read accounts that about 1/4 million were expected, but about 1 million showed up for the concert. That's a heck of a lot of folks, drugs or no drugs.

I agree the organizers were not prepared for so many people.

[Marigold2]

This is so incredibly sad.

[Kirsten]

Now 21 are dead, and it's said that more than 500 are injured...

Honestly, they should have been prepared that more than a million would show up, the Love Parade had always lots of visitors. I think it was irresponsible to have such a huge event in a small town like Duisburg. The location simply wasn't made for this.

[moosmom]

Very tragic and so unnecessary, had they planned it correctly.

Um, what is a love parade, anyway???

[RICHARD]

Having been to scad of aporting and music events?

The "festival" style events are the best and worst.

Festival seating means you show up when you do and sit where you find room.

Even if the sponsor limit the number of tickets to a FS event? there is always the chance for something to happen.

I went to the US Festival and it was fun, dirty and very tiring.

What most people and organizers cannot predict is something like what happened at the LP2010. They do have plans for certain situations, but the front of a stage it probably the worst, there is no place to go if you are caught in the front...

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A few things that I ALWAYS was aware of when attending any event was who I was with, where I sat and how I would get out of there if --------happened.

When you live in earthquake country you do pay attention on an escape route.


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There is really no one person or entity to blame. it's one of those unfortunate occurences that happen when people are having a good time and not paying attention.

I think that the event should go on and be dedicated to the people who perished and maybe attach a memorial/charity cause to the concert.

RIP.