At least 15 trampled to death at Germany's Loveparade

[Nicolasa]

Police Documentation

Duisburg police provided this map of the Love Parade grounds. Pictured are:

Red: The party site.

Purple: Denotes the routes from the Duisburg train station to the event site entrance. One route came in from the west, the other from the east. Both start about 2 km (1.2 miles) to the north of the event site at the central railway station.

Yellow: A highway runs from north to south next to the party grounds.

The remaining colors describe other police and security facilities.

A green circle marks the west and east entrances to the tunnel; access control facilities were also installed here (more on them later). Police stress that they were only responsible for people on the way to the Love Parade grounds, but not on the site itself. In the afternoon, a crush of people developed on the party site. As it became clear that security personnel were unable to resolve the situation, police support was called in to help establish a barricade across the entry ramp. Two further police barricades were established in the tunnels -- they can be seen in the middle of the graphic, labelled "Polizeikette".

spiegel.de

 

[Nicolasa]

Police photos from the event site

4:28 p.m.: A view from the north to the south of the former freight railway station where the party took place. The entrance and exit ramp is located just off the frame, at the top center. One can clearly see the uneven distribution of people inside the event site. Knots of party goers built in the south where the floats were entertaining visitors. Police criticize that placing the floats there kept people from leaving the entrance ramp sooner. Pushers who were hired to move people away from the entrance quickly, failed.

Police photos from the event site

4:30 p.m.: A view from the north to the south to the main ramp (left). One can clearly see the crowd stopped along the police barricade on the lower end of the ramp. This barricade was maintained until 4:40 p.m. People nevertheless tried to escape the tunnel and reach the festival ground via a narrow stairway. They also tried to climb over the container at the base of the ramp housing a crowd control expert. Others attempted to climb light poles. At the same time, visitors were trying to leave the area through the main and secondary ramps -- the secondary ramp can be seen winding through the center of the picture.

Police photos from the event site

4:43 p.m.: View of the main ramp (in the center of this image) and secondary ramp (to the left). The police barricade toward the base of the main ramp was opened three minutes prior to this pictures being taken. One can see people flowing toward the top of the ramp. At the bas, the crush of people that has developed is clearly visible. The ramp was further narrowed by parked vehicles.

Police photos from the event site

4:43 p.m.: View of the area between the exit of the tunnel (bottom) and the narrow stairway (top). This spot turned into a death trap as soon as people started moving toward the festival ground on the ramp. The crowd surged toward the small staircase, squeezing and trampling those trapped at the base of it. This is were most of the victims lost their lives.

spiegel.de

 

[Nicolasa]

I think the title of this thread no longer makes sense. Could a moderator change it for Loveparade's tragedy or something similar? Thanks in advance.