Published
Wed, Feb 12, 2014, 15:10
- Festival organisers and Duisburg city officials face trial over the 2010 tragedy.
Charges have been laid against organisers of 2010's ill-fated Love Parade in Germany.
Twenty-one people died and more than 500 were injured in July 2010 following a crush caused by thousands of people trying to get into the festival through a narrow tunnel. Now, as the BBC report, charges of negligent manslaughter and causing bodily harm have been laid against four staff of Lopavent, the company that organised the festival, and six Duisburg city officials.
"An event where people wanted to party, dance and have fun, turned into a terrible tragedy," said Duisburg's chief prosecutor Horst Bien. "Twenty-one people had to die, hundreds were injured. The victims, their relatives and the bereaved are still suffering today because of the traumatic events."
Thirteen men and eight women died as a result of the crush. In addition to 14 Germans, victims also came from Spain, Australia, Italy, Netherlands, China and Bosnia-Hercegovina.
The mayor of Duisburg at the time of the tragedy, Adolf Sauerland, stepped down in 2012 following a referendum. Love Parade was originally held annually in Berlin, and became synonymous with techno culture in the '90s. In its later years it was held outside the capital. McFit, a German gym chain, was the main sponsor of Love Parade between 2006 and 2010, with the company's owner Rainer Schaller also taking over Lopavent. Love Parade founder Dr Motte distanced himself from the festival in its later years. No Love Parade events have been held since 2010.