Candles of Memory Lit In Nyamiha
Source: www.charter97.org
On May 30 in Minsk a meeting in memory of the 7th anniversary of the tragedy in Nyamiha ( Nemiga ) metro station was held. Several dozens of young people laid flowers to the monument of the stampede victims and lit about a hundred of candles near the monument and at the stairs of the underpass.
The rally was organized via Internet, people not knowing each other took part in it. Its non-political nature was emphasized in the announcement.
The tragedy took place on May 30, 1999. On that evening more than two thousand mostly young people aged under 18 returned from a beer festival and a concert held in front of the Palace of Sports. A sudden shower caused panic among the crowd. The folks streamed into the near-by subway underpass of Nyamiha ( Nemiga ) metro station, which resulted in a bloody stampede leaving 54 people, mostly young girls, dead and some 250 injured. According to witnesses, everything ended in 10 minutes. Most of the deaths were caused by asphyxia. About a hundred of people were hospitalized with different traumas.
A criminal action was brought up, however the responsible ones havent been named. According to the authorities, the tragedy had been caused by a twist of fate. Families of the victims many times sued city authorities, police, Olivaria brewery, a radio station Mir and Class-Club Jazz-Craft producers center who were responsible for organizing the festival and for maintaining order there. However courts dismissed charges.
