DUISBURG, Germany — Crowds of people streaming into a techno music festival surged through an already jammed entry tunnel Saturday, setting off a panic that killed 18 people and injured 80 at an event meant to celebrate love and peace.
The circumstances of the stampede at the famed Love Parade festival in Duisburg were not clear even hours after the chaos, but it appeared that some or most of the 18 had been crushed to death.
Authorities also suggested that some of those killed or injured might have attempted to flee the crowd by jumping over a barrier and falling several yards. Witnesses described a desperate scene, as people piled up on one another or scrambled over others who had fallen in the crush.
“The young people came to celebrate and instead there are dead and injured,” said Chancellor Angela Merkel. “I am horrified by the suffering and the pain.”
Criticism fell on city officials for allowing only one entrance to the grounds of a hugely popular event that drew hundreds of thousands of people to dance, watch floats and listen to DJs spin. German media said 1.4 million people attended, but that figure could not be confirmed.
The founder of the Love Parade, Matthias Roeingh, known by the name Dr. Motte, blasted the planning for the event, saying “one single entrance through a tunnel lends itself to disaster. I am very sad.”
City officials chose not to evacuate the site, fearing it might spark more panic, and many people continued partying, unaware of the deaths.
It is the worst accident of its kind since nine people were crushed to death and 43 more were injured at a rock festival in Roskilde, Denmark, in 2000. That fatal accident occurred when a huge crowd pushed forward during a Pearl Jam concert.
