Nineteen people have died and hundreds were injured in a stampede at Germany’s Love Parade music festival.
According to reports, the massive music festival was becoming overcrowded when police decided to close the main entrance which in a wide tunnel.The massed crowds panicked, causing a stampede which saw hundreds of festivalgoers trampled. The fatality count is currently at 19, with over 340 people being treated for injuries.
More than a million people attended the Love Parade, which was held in an old industrial railway station. The festival continued after the incident, as police feared causing more panic.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel has demanded an investigation into the tragedy and German prosecutors have launched a criminal investigation for negligent homicide.
Festival organiser Rainer Schaller has announced that the event, which has been running annually since 1989, will be discontinued out of respect for those who have died.
Schaller said, "The Love Parade has always been a joyful and peaceful party, but in future would always be overshadowed by yesterday's events."
