NationStates Jolt Archive

http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/world/iraq/20050831-0846-iraq.html
Most of the world's attention is turned toward Hurricane Katrina, but no one can forget that other things do happen. For example, the deadliest incident in Iraq since the war began was not necessarily a war-related event, but a stampede that killed almost 700 pilgrims. The crowd began running after someone shouted that there was a suicide bomber. Whether there was or wasn't one is beyond the point: people still died.

Actually, this afternoon, this was the BBC's lead story. The hurricane displaced it again after some official speculated that thousands might have died.

It is a tragedy, though. The crowd got shelled by unidentified individuals earlier, so I can't blame them for being jumpy.

Well apparently there's a reason why attention is focused on the hurricane...

"Thousands dead"

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/4201480.stm

I heard about that on the news a while ago. In a way, it's even more tragic than Katrina; it's hard to see how it could have been at all avoided or the effect lessened, and yet it's a human-created tragedy, even if it's an accidental one.

My thoughts go out to the families of the lost and the wounded.

Now they are reporting one thousand dead. It makes one wonder how it is even possible. The sheer magnitude is unbelievable. I can never remember a panic that killed this many people.

Like Lotus Puppy already said, the sheer magnitude of this tragedy is incredible. My jaw dropped when I saw the initial estimate of 695. What an awful way to go...trampled to death. All this suffering going on around the world and yet I find my life recently being filled with so much simple happiness. Stuff like this makes me appreciate what hapiness I've found evene more. I just hope those left behind by both disasters can find their own moments of hapiness and joy once again as life goes on. Its all a crazy cycle, but that doesn't make it any easier to hear about innocents dying like this, or the tragedy unfolding in New Orleans.

Like Lotus Puppy already said, the sheer magnitude of this tragedy is incredible. My jaw dropped when I saw the initial estimate of 695. What an awful way to go...trampled to death. All this suffering going on around the world and yet I find my life recently being filled with so much simple happiness. Stuff like this makes me appreciate what hapiness I've found evene more. I just hope those left behind by both disasters can find their own moments of hapiness and joy once again as life goes on. Its all a crazy cycle, but that doesn't make it any easier to hear about innocents dying like this, or the tragedy unfolding in New Orleans.
It always rains of bad news. Now it seems to be pouring.

Most of the dead and injured were children, women and the elderly. There were stacks of slippers, sandals and shoes left from the stampede on the road and bridge...
:( :(
Poor bastards, terrible way to die.

There's only thousand dead in Iraq. Nothing to see there. Could we please go back and see what's happening in Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama, please?

Most of the dead and injured were children, women and the elderly. There were stacks of slippers, sandals and shoes left from the stampede on the road and bridge...
:( :(
Poor bastards, terrible way to die.
They always say it's the women, children, and whoever else. I am beginning to think that it is just a way to get sympathy in the Arab world. Personally, I feel a fair amount of men died, too.

The blood of those thousand innocent civilians are on the hands of all americans, and the Bush Administration.

The blood of those thousand innocent civilians are on the hands of all americans, and the Bush Administration.

Their blood is not on my hands.

They always say it's the women, children, and whoever else. I am beginning to think that it is just a way to get sympathy in the Arab world. Personally, I feel a fair amount of men died, too.

Maybe your right, i dunno- i'm just going on the pictures i saw- and there were a LOT of young teenagers and kids. Its possible that more men survived by swimming in the Tigris when the elderly and young could not. But its irrelevant, a thousand people dead in a single instance like that is tragic :(

The blood of those thousand innocent civilians are on the hands of all americans, and the Bush Administration.
How? Bush and America didn't force these people to stampede over themselves

The blood of those thousand innocent civilians are on the hands of all americans, and the Bush Administration.
You love to hate.

Actually, this afternoon, this was the BBC's lead story. ...


Wasnt even on CNN, then again with New Orleans now a swamp you can't fault the Americans for focusing on trying to get a relief effort (which still has not been truly effective in reaching many in the city with even water if you can believe it).

You love to hate.

No, I hate very little. I just enjoy sharing my opinions and views.

No, I hate very little. I just enjoy sharing my opinions and views.
In a peculiar manner.

In a peculiar manner.

In your opinion.

The blood of those thousand innocent civilians are on the hands of all americans, and the Bush Administration.

I can't even begin to say how moronic that statement is. Shut up.

What happens in crowds that big is if something goes wrong in a small portion of the crowd it can have a ripple effect. It happens often in India.

They always say it's the women, children, and whoever else. I am beginning to think that it is just a way to get sympathy in the Arab world. Personally, I feel a fair amount of men died, too.
You feel a "fact"? That's a new one.

A few more and maybe we'll leave!

i was listening to a report about it on NPR this morning. the details are horriffic.

there was security on each end of the bridge that the pilgrimage passed over. security to make sure that no cars could get onto the bridge and to search for suicide bombers.

when the bridge was as full of people as it could possibly be, a rumor flew that there was a suicide bomber in the area

people tried to escape by going over the bridge from both sides. the people in the middle of the bridge could only survive by either jumping over the edge or by clawing their way onto the top of the standing, pushing crowd.

those who couldnt were suffocated standing up.

over 900 people died.

The blood of those thousand innocent civilians are on the hands of all americans, and the Bush Administration.


How? Bush and America didn't force these people to stampede over themselves


It's the penalty of being an occupying power,
you're responsible for anything and everything that happens.

Even where you don't have control over it,
If it had happened in a free Iraq then the people might have held
their government responsible.
Ministers might have been sacked for poor planning or
the decision might have been that every reasonable
step had been taken to try to ensure people's safety.

But an occupying power means that nothing is truly under Iraqi control,
the US is the power and that means the US holds responsibility.

US citizens may think it is unfair but as their representatives have,
bombed , shot and tortured Iraqis over the last 2 years, you're really just
going to have to suck it up.

If you think blame being cast at you is bad, just wait until you start
having to face up to the real consequences of gutting the UN and
setting precedents for the validity of assassination, extraordinary rendition and pre-emptive war.

It's a tragedy. None of this would've happened if...

There's only thousand dead in Iraq. Nothing to see there. Could we please go back and see what's happening in Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama, please?
:rolleyes: Honestly!

:rolleyes: Honestly!
Took your sweet time. I thought that went unnoticed...

You feel a "fact"? That's a new one.
Hey, I don't know who died. But I do know that Arabs are apathetic to the death of young, fit men, whomever they are. Unlike the culture we live in, violence in this group is a way of life, and it is almost condoned.