Wowowee stampede death toll rises to 79

Taken from: http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/topofthehour.aspx?StoryId=29061
National (as of 1:34 PM)

The death toll in the stampede Saturday at Philsport stadium (formerly ULTRA) in Pasig City rose to 79, Vice-President Noli de Castro said.

The figure was announced by de Castro during a press conference at the stadium.

The stampede broke out around 6 a.m. as thousands lined up to get tickets for the popular noontime gameshow Wowowee, police said.

They said the crush at the stadium came when organizers of the first anniversary celebration of the gameshow began handing out tickets to people, many of whom had been camping outside for days.

Some witnesses said chaos erupted when someone in the crowd shouted “bomb,” but others said that people surged forward when guards began giving out tickets at around dawn.

Most of the victims were elderly and were crushed against a steel fence at one gate into the stadium.

“We were happy. We only wanted to have fun and then this thing happened,” Nimfa Santos said on local radio, adding she had been waiting with a group of women. “I don’t know what happened to the others.”

Bodies of the victims were lined up on the street outside the stadium, their faces covered with sheets and blankets.

“My mum died,” Alberto Herrera said on radio. “Please help me. I don’t know what to do.”

Dozens of people were hurt. But Pasig Mayor Vicente Eusebio said he did not expect the death toll to rise.

The noontime show “Wowowee” is one of the most-watched in the Philippines, offering large prizes of cash and merchandise. ABS-CBN Broadcasting Corp. announced that the special airing of Wowowee has been canceled due to the tragedy. The show was planning to give away big prizes, including P1 million, a house and lot and a car for its anniversary.

DZMM also reported that a total of 145 people were hurt during the stampede and are currently confined at the Rizal Medical Center (RMC) in Pasig City.

According to Dr. Tito Marcial of RMC, a total of 10 people are confirmed dead from the stampede in the hospital.

Rescue groups like the Philippine Red Cross have already deployed teams to the area.

A Phillipine Army truck arrived to transport the fatalities to the Arlington Funeral Homes in Pasig City and to the Medical City also in Pasig.

Police said the unidentified bodies were taken to the Arlington Funeral Homes.

A separate DZMM report said that one of the fatalities was identified as one Belen Comia of Sampaloc, Manila. She was identified through her postal ID.

Vice-President Noli de Castro arrived at ULTRA around 10:20 a.m. He declined to grant interviews.

De Castro was in his morning show over DZMM when the news of the stampede was first reported in the station.

The ABS-CBN management had announced it will shoulder the medical and funeral cost of the victims of the stampede. abs-cbnNEWS.com/Reuters

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