Stampede Kills 340 in Cambodia

A panicked crowd at the nation’s water festival has crushed at least 339 people to death.

At least 2 million people descended on Phnom Penh for the water festival, which marks the end of the rainy season and is a major seasonal holiday. Large crowds gathered on Diamond Island for concert Monday evening, and one witness said panic started after 10 people were rendered unconscious by the press of bodies. That sent people rushing towards a bridge off the island, and several people were pushed into the water. Prime Minister Hun Sen confirmed that the death toll had neared 340, but that figure is expected to rise because the country’s health system is underdeveloped and can barely accommodate daily medical demands at the best of times.