AT least 15 people were killed and another 15 injured overnight when mass panic broke out at Germany’s Love Parade.
More than a million revelers had gathered in the city of Duisburg, in western Germany, for the annual techno music festival.
A stampede broke out after authorities tried to stop thousands of people from entering the area where the parade was being held, German news agency DAPD said.
Initially it was reported than ten people had been killed in the ensuing carnage – however the toll of dead rose to 15, according to reports in the German media.
The horrifying incident was sparked by “mass panic by an entrance tunnel,” police director Ralf Klauck said.
“Medical staff had to fight through the massive crowd to reach them,” added Kate Connolly, a British journalist who witnessed the crush.
Ms Connolly said police had been careful not to tell other festivalgoers what had happened so as not to provoke any more panic – but the horrifying news soon filtered through.
“The revelers started to hear from relatives and friends who were calling them on their mobiles,” she added.
The Love Parade grew from a 1989 peace demonstration in Berlin into a huge outdoor celebration of club culture.
About 1.5 million people attended at its peak in 1999.
Since 2007 it has been held in the industrial Ruhr region of western Germany after suffering financial problems and tensions with city officials in Berlin.
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