RECOLLECTING THE 25TH ANNIVERSARY ON THE DASHRATH RANGHASHALA TRAGEDY

RECOLLECTING 25TH ANNIVERSARY OF DASHRATH RANGHASHALA TRAGEDY

By Bhola B Rana

Kathmandu, 12 March: The stampede at the Dashrath Ranghashala that killed 73 football fans 25 years ago and injured many others is still Asia’s worst sporting disaster.
It was the world’s worst when it occurred 12 March 25 years ago.
It was a warn Saturday afternoon and I was enjoying a late lunch at Moti Mahal that day.
A tea from Bangladesh and Nepal’s Janakpur Cigarette factory would meet around four in the afternoon ha day for the final of the Tribhuvan Challenge Shield final.
Organizers closed all doors of the stadium as soon as the match started.
A sudden storm broke out and eople rushed to the gates to get out of the stadium amid panic
Spectators were trapped inside the stadium, mainly at the exit.
People started rushing for home in the storm along Darbar Marg in anything that was available.
People in panic were rushing home from areas in and around the stadium and gave ne the me the first break of the disaster that had broken out.
I was working as a correspondent of the United Press International
Instinctively, I rushed to Bir Hospital.
Bodies were being carried to the hospital; bodies were piled up in groud floor rooms of the hospital which bore the brunt of the emergency.
I had never witnessed such a scene not did I witness any in my long reporting career.
The disaster was one of the biggest news that I covered for UPI out of Nepal in a
24-year reporting career for the American news agency,
I got out my first flash with updates late into the night and next morning.
Editors from New Delhi, Hong Kong and New York got back telling my UPI was low with casualty figures with opposition was reporting deaths crossing 100.
I stood by my original story for days and weeks.
Seventy-two persons deaths were reported from hospitals and one body was recovered outside the south side of the stadium.
Collecting the death count wasn’t so difficult with limited health hospitals then and there were no nursing homes those days in the capital.
Just a phone call to the hospitals asking for casualty figures or a personal visittohospital was enough to get an exact casualty figure
A controversy was raised why the Military Hosptital didn’t accept casualties.
Following the disaster, an immediate need was felt for a trauma lhospital.
Education Minister Keshar Minister overseeing National Sports Council and Sharadshan as its member secretary came under the heaviest criticism for closing all exits and overselling tickets for the match.
Following the disastrous accident, the stadium’s capacity was established at 15,000.
Nnnn