The Water Festival

Last night was rocked by the tragic deaths and casualties of many, many Cambodians.

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/11/23/world/asia/23cambodia.html

No Peace Corps Volunteers or staff were at the event, nor was any member of my immediate or extended Khmer host family, a fact that I thank God for since my host sister, baby niece, aunt, and brother were in the capital, not to mention the many members of extended family there.

From what I hear what happened is this:
There was a concert on Diamond Island which far to many people were allowed to attend. A few people fainted which caused others to panic and stampede towards the small suspension bridge connecting the island to the mainland. During this time and the rest of the incident people began to be trampled. Once the crowd reached the bridge they bottle-necked. At the top of the bridge were the police who tried to stop the crowd by blasting them with a water cannon. Exposed wiring on the bridge caused people in the crowd to be electrocuted, further panicking them. Also at this point people began to scream that the bridge was breaking. Both of these things caused people to jump into the water below, the sad fact being that very few Cambodians know how to swim.

In short, last night was a terrible night for Cambodia and its residents, foreign and Khmer alike. My thoughts and prayers go out to everyone affected by the tragedy.