339 Dead in Cambodian Festival Stampede

More than 330 Cambodians died today in a stampede that broke out as some 2 million gathered for a festival to celebrate the end of the rainy season, reports the AP. Prime Minister Hun Sen said the deaths at the three-day water festival was the country's "biggest tragedy" since the Khmer Rouge. The stampede occurred on a long strip of land called Koh Pich (Diamond Island), after the last in a series of boat races.

Witnesses said that several people in the crowd fell unconscious, starting a panic and resulting in a stampede. Members of the crowd became stuck on a bridge, with people falling underfoot and into the water. Ambulances raced to the hospital carrying victims for several hours after the event. Many of the hundreds of injuries are severe, and the death toll may rise. (More Cambodia stories.)