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Indonesia stampede leaves 21 dead

by Sanjay Jha | September 14, 2008 at 11:49 pm | 279 views | 1 comment | 10 recommendations

During the pious month of Ramadan Poor Muslims are given donations under a system known as Zakat. Under this system wealthy muslims give a portion of their money to the poor every year.But this year the event turned into a stampede and the crush happened as people waited for charity handouts from a wealthy family in the East Javan town of Pasuruan. The cash handouts, of about $4 per person, are a tradition during the Islamic fasting month of Ramadan.

At least 23 people were crushed to death on Monday when residents of an eastern Indonesia town surged forward while waiting for 40,000 rupiah (US$4.25) handouts from a rich family in an annual tradition, officials said.

The handouts were part of charity events marking the Islamic fasting month of Ramadan in the town of Pasuran, some 800 kilometers (nearly 500 miles) east of the capital, said local police chief Harry Sitompul.

Television footage showed women screaming as they were pushed into a fence by the crowd outside a home in Pasuran. At 23 people were killed and at least 8 others were in critical condition, Sitompul said.

Charity events are common during Ramadan, when most of Indonesia's 235 million people fast during daylight hours. However, crowd control is problematic and deaths have occurred at similar events in the past.

"There was no coordination with police during the handout,'' said mayor Aminurohman, who like many Indonesians goes by a single name.