Germany (February 26, 2014)—Ten people were indicted this month in connection to a stampede that killed 21 people at the German music festival, Love Parade, in July 2010.
According to CNN, six city workers and four event organizers were charged in a German court with involuntary manslaughter and bodily injury caused by negligence.
The incident took place between the main event site and an expansion area, as visitors tried to pass through an enclosed underpass from both sides. Overcrowding of this underpass caused a panic, leading to the death of 21 people, and injured another 652. According to a 2010 report by NTV, approximately 1.4 million people attended Love Parade in 2010, despite the estimated 250,000 to 350,000 capacity at the site.
In a statement, Duisburg city official Michael Schwarz said, “The fatal outcome of the Love Parade is solely due to two causes: fatal errors with the planning and approval of the event as well as a lack of monitoring safety-relevant requirements on the day of the event.”
Started in 1989, Love Parade was a popular electronic dance music festival in the area of Berlin, Germany. Following the incident in 2010, organizers dissolved the festival.
