Quotes

Koh Pich bridge stampede

This is the biggest tragedy since the Pol Pot regime

- Hun Sen in an early morning response to the tragedy

“With this miserable event, I would like to share my condolences with my compatriots and the family members of the victims. This needs to be investigated more.” An inquiry committee will be established.

- Hun Sen in a speech at __ What time did he deliver this address?

broadcast on Bayon TV informing people of the tragedy that took place on Koh Pich’s north bridge.

People were afraid and began to trample each other and some jumped into the river.

- Municipal Police Chief Touch Naruth at the scene of the stampede.

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Water Festival

BY THE NUMBER

4 million

Estimated number of people who visited Phnom Penh this year to join in the three-day festival.

4

Japanese professional women wrestlers invited to the capital during the water festival for a series of exhibition bouts.

100

Children who police officials estimate come to the water festival to collect trash floating in the river. One 8-year-old boy drowned this year attempting to grab a piece of trash from the river.

5,000

Estimated number of sex workers expected to come from the countryside to cash in on demand for their services during the festival.

4,000

The number of police who were reportedly on duty during the festivities, down from 6,500 last year.

How many condoms?

The number of condoms that would be distributed in Phnom Penh by HIV/AIDS Coordinating Committee during the festival, according to their representatives.

News Briefs

Rest in peace & pride

TWO undertakers in the northwestern German city of Cologne are trying to tap into the gay market by selling coffins adorned with images of male nudes.

The prize piece in their display window is a coffin decorated with images of mostly naked, muscular young men in athletic poses. REUTERS

Small bark, tall task

A JAPANESE police department has appointed a chihuahua as a member of its disaster rescue squad, where it will serve alongside retrievers and German shepherds.

Seven-year-old Momo earned its top-dog credentials when it passed a canine rescue test. AFP

Machine knows

A new Japanese canned drink vending machine that uses facial recognition technology to “recommend” drinks based on the customer’s age and gender has tripled sales. REUTERS

Big Stories

What is your top 3? angkorone.com/lift

1. HUNDREDS died and hundreds more were injured on Monday night in a stampede on Diamond Island’s north bridge, bringing a tragic close to the final day of water festival celebrations in Phnom Penh.

   Prime Minister Hun Sen announced via video conference that 339 people had been confirmed dead and 329 injured.

   “This is the biggest tragedy since the Pol Pot regime,” he said, adding that Cambodia would hold a national day of mourning on Tuesday.

   The cause of the stampede is yet to be confirmed.

   Authorities, witnesses and onlookers inspect personal effects on the northern Koh Pich bridge. PHA LINA

2. THE Catholic Church eased their condom ban when Pope Benedict XVI said that using condoms could be justified to stop

   __ What did the Pope say condoms can help stop? His comments dominated the front pages of newspapers around the world and marked a significant shift in the church’s hardline policy against contraceptives. AFP

3. AN estimated 2.2 million Cambodians living in poverty are expected to have received free medical care by the end of this year, an increase of almost 1 million people compared with last year, the Health Ministry said.

   The figures show that about 1.1 million people accessed free medical care in the first six months of this year, a number that is expected to have at least doubled by the end of the year.