‘Wowowee’ stampede: 73 killed, 359 injured

At least 73 people were killed and 359 injured when a rush to watch the popular noontime game show "Wowowee" that was giving away cash and prizes on its first anniversary turned into a deadly stampede at the Philsports Arena (formerly Ultra) in Pasig City early yesterday morning.

Some people had camped for days to secure limited seats to the ABS-CBN variety show, and officials said they did not know what triggered the tragedy outside the gates of Philsports Arena that became a death trap for thousands of fans who had lined up for days for a chance at the P1-million jackpot prize.

President Arroyo ordered an investigation into the cause of the accident, where police said up to 30,000 people massed to get into the taping of the show, which was supposed to be aired tomorrow.

Mrs. Arroyo pledged to release to the public results of the official investigation in 72 hours.

Health Secretary Francisco Duque III said 73 people were killed, revising a higher death toll reported by authorities due to double counting amid the confusion. At least 359 injured people were taken to 11 hospitals, according to officials.

Mrs. Arroyo later comforted the injured in several hospitals, where emergency rooms were overwhelmed with victims, with some forced to await treatment on plastic chairs or even on the floor.

She put her hands on the shoulders of Leny Subayco, who was waiting for an X-ray of her injured leg.

Subayco said she lost consciousness after being pressed against the stadium gate and woke up later under a pile of people.

"Under me was a dead person, beside me there was another dead and there was another dead above me," she said.

Radio dzBB reported hospitals were overwhelmed with the scores of injured and were using parking lots to accommodate them. The Rizal Medical Center alone was treating 200 people, said Sen. Richard Gordon, chairman of the Philippine National Red Cross.

The show’s host, Willie Revillame, initially said he wanted the show to go on, but network giant ABS-CBN Broadcasting Corp. later said it would postpone the variety show.

Revillame and Vice President Noli de Castro later appeared before thousands of people inside the stadium to tell them the show would be postponed and to appeal for understanding.

"Please don’t be angry at us," Revillame told the crowd. "Don’t be worried. We will find a way to care for the injured and the dead."

"It’s too early for finger-pointing. Nobody wanted the incident to happen," said De Castro, who rose to fame as a newscaster and television show host also on ABS-CBN.

"This program will take place later. You still have your tickets," De Castro assured the crowd.

ABS-CBN executive vice president for entertainment, Charo Santos-Concio, announced that the show had been postponed indefinitely.

"We are truly saddened by this incident. Nobody wanted this," she said, adding the TV station "will ensure that we will give all needed help and support to the wounded."

Concio said ABS-CBN would pay for the funeral and hospital expenses of victims and survivors.

Network chairman Eugenio Lopez said: "We want to assure the public that ABS-CBN will stand behind any costs that have been incurred by the victims."

Transportation Secretary Leandro Mendoza said the National Telecommunications Commission would look into the "possible culpability" of the show’s organizers.

Gordon blamed poor organization of the event for the tragedy.

"If you predict that there’s going to be a huge crowd, you should be ready with ambulances and communications," he said. "You should plan for the worst. We have a lot of people who wanted to help but could not get in immediately."

Nightmare

"We were hoping to get a chance to win some money," wailed housewife Esperanza Marasigan, desperately searching for her relatives lost in the mayhem. "We never thought this would turn out to be a nightmare."

Like tens of thousands of others mostly from poor urban communities, Marasigan and six of her relatives went to watch the show for a chance to win cash prizes and secure a better life.

But her dreams were crushed when hundreds scrambled to get inside the stadium for seats. "Help us, help us. I think my sister is dead," Marasigan cried, as hundreds of others milled around.

Around her, relatives of the some of the dead stood sobbing uncontrollably or in hysterics. A man continued stroking his dead wife’s head and talking to his shocked little boy as tears streamed down his face.

The cause of the stampede was unclear, with some officials saying someone had shouted "bomb," sparking a panic that caused people to trample one another.

Pasig deputy police chief Romeo Abaring said they were still investigating the incident and that they could not say if the crush had been triggered by the alleged bomb threat.

"The reason for the stampede was a lot of people converging on one spot," said Abaring, noting that the crowd had surged towards the stadium’s sole entrance, a narrow passageway where most of the dead were found.

Police have formed a team of investigators, dubbed "Task Force Ultra." The National Bureau of Investigation is also looking into the tragedy.

Pasig Mayor Vicente Eusebio said the melee erupted as the crowd pushed and surged toward the gates, thinking they were open, trampling those in front.

One survivor said some people in the crowd became rowdy when they could not enter.

"The gates were being partially opened then shut," said Myrna Britania, 42, who spoke at a hospital where the injured were being treated. "The raffle tickets can be obtained at the gate so everyone was in a hurry. There was pushing and people in front of the gate were crushed."

Britania, who had spent all night in line, said "people at the back of the line were pushing not knowing there were already people dead lying on the ground in front."

Survivors of the incident said the sheer weight of the crowd forced open the steel gate at the sole entrance of the stadium.

People then tried to squeeze through the narrow passageway where most of the dead were found.

Vendor Vilma Hernandez, who said she had been excitedly lining up for a seat since Thursday, said the crowd was just too thick for the organizers to handle.

"I am still in shock. I saw a lot of dead people. If I had been in front, I would have died. I left just in time. I was vomiting and very exhausted," she said.

A steel barrier that had prevented the crowd from moving toward the stands, was opened before dawn, causing people to surge forward, toppling over one another. Hernandez said many children were also hurt.

Most of the victims were middle-aged or elderly women. Some of the dead still had their eyes open.

"These people just didn’t know what hit them," one rescue worker said.

Police Superintendent Gerry Galvan said at least 50 people died at the stadium and the rest at hospitals where they were taken.

Poverty factor

Even after the stampede, hundreds of people remained in the area — some curious bystanders, others wandering around in confusion and many more still lining up, still hoping to attend the airing of the show.

They had hoped to win jeepneys or houses or even the top prize of P1 million, a special offering for the show’s one-year anniversary tomorrow.

Around 40 percent of the people in the Philippines live on about P100 a day, and game shows like "Wowowee" that offer substantial prizes have a huge following.

Bodies were brought out of the stadium and placed on a litter-filled street, covered with plastic bags or newspapers.

Some had their drivers’ licenses or other ID cards placed on their chests for quick identification before being taken to nearby hospitals.

Piles of discarded clothing, bags and shoes littered the scene.

Some relatives stroked the faces of their dead loved ones, mourning and in shock after the melee.

Police, soldiers and rescue workers went through the victims’ clothing to find any identification cards that could give a name to the dead.

Those that could not be identified however remained on the street awaiting a relative or friend who could identify them.

Police barked orders on a megaphone, desperately trying to disperse a thick crowd of relatives and onlookers who were blocking ambulances and rescue teams.

Caloocan Mayor Enrico Echiverri ordered health personnel to help the survivors and families of the victims.

Air force rescue personnel carried the dead on to a waiting military truck, to be taken to a funeral home for proper identification.

One paramedic tried to get Merquieades Salazar, 45, to let go of the body of his wife, Jocelyn, 42, but the husband was too distraught. The victim’s 17-year-old son, Melvin, tried to console his father.

"We were just coming to have a good time with the family," the son said.

Merquieades Salazar said he and his wife were jobless and wanted to try their luck at winning a raffle.

"We both fell and we were both pinned to the ground," Salazar sobbed as he stroked his dead wife’s hair. "In the desire to win money, she is the one I lost." — With reports from Aurea Calica, Pia Lee-Brago, Evelyn Macairan, Jerry Botial, Mike Frialde, Sheila Crisostomo, Edu Punay, Marvin Sy, AFP, AP, Reuters,