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'Love Parade' festival death toll up to 19 as investigation begins

Updated: 2010-07-26 13:30

 

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The death toll from a stampede at a "Love Parade" techno music festival in Germany rose to 19 on Sunday and police are investigating how the mass panic occurred.

"We are currently working with the organizers and collecting evidence in hopes of reconstructing the events, but it will be labor- and time-intensive," police spokesman Christoph Gilles said by telephone on Sunday.

Wang Xiting, deputy consul-general of the Chinese consulate in Germany's Frankfurt, told Xinhua News Agency on Sunday that one Chinese female citizen was killed in the mass panic. Chinese diplomats have gone to Duisburg for further details and to deal with the aftermath, Wang said.

The festival drew about 1.4 million people from all over Europe, most in the 18 to 26 age bracket.

Police in the Ruhr industrial city said another festival-goer injured in the stampede died overnight, raising the toll to 19, with 342 people injured.

Duisburg police tried to close the tunnel entrance about a half an hour before the chaos broke out late Saturday afternoon, but panic ensued nonetheless. "Apparently some tried to enter the area by climbing a fence along a ramp and then fell," the head of an emergency task force, Wolfgang Rabe, told ARD television late Saturday. "It is still a presumption at the moment, but this could have caused a panic."

The festival was not immediately canceled because authorities feared an abrupt halt could spark a second panic.

Music blared out after the stampede and people danced on, unaware of the unfolding tragedy nearby. Organizers called off the event late in the evening hours after the deaths.

Rescue work was initially hampered by the huge crowds attending one of Europe's biggest electronic music events in fine weather, officials said.

Questions:

1. What is the death toll from Germany’s 'Love Parade' music festival?

2. How many Chinese citizens were involved?

3. How many people were at the festival in Duisburg?

Answers:

1. As of Sunday, at least 19 are dead and 342 people are injured.

2. One Chinese female citizen was killed in the mass panic.

3. The festival drew about 1.4 million people from all over Europe, most in the 18 to 26 age bracket.

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（中國日?qǐng)?bào)網(wǎng)英語點(diǎn)津 Helen 編輯）

About the broadcaster:

Nelly Min is an editor at China Daily with more than 10 years of experience as a newspaper editor and photographer. She has worked at major newspapers in the U.S., including the Los Angeles Times and the Detroit Free Press. She is fluent in Korean and has a 2-year-old son.