2008 Woodie Awards
Week in Review: Asia
Mary Kate Nevin '09 and Kieran Whelan '09
Issue date: 10/2/08 Section: World
India: Worshippers Killed in Temple Stampede
At least 168 people were killed and at least 100 were injured when thousands of pilgrims stampeded on Tuesday, Sept. 30, at a Hindu Temple in the historic town of Jodhpur in Western India.
According to the BBC, a wall near the temple is said to have collapsed, causing panic among thousands of devoted worshippers marking the start of the Hindu Navaratra festival.
However, according to Ramesh Vyas, a pilgrim who was standing in line, the stampede began as false rumors of a bomb spread among the crowd.
Television footage from Jodhpur showed dozens of bodies lying on the sidewalk, while many frantic people tried restlessly to revive those unconscious worshippers. Others dragged people by their arms and legs down a ramp that leads to the temple inside the massive 15th century Mehrangarh Fort that overlooks the town.
Japan: Company Invents Airbag For People
A Japanese company says it has made an airbag designed to stop elderly people from injuring themselves by falling.
The device, to be strapped around the body, detects rapid acceleration towards the ground and can automatically inflate in 0.1 seconds, according to the BBC.
Prop. the Tokyo-based company, says the product is designed to cushion a fall using two separate pockets of air-one behind the head and one around the hips. It does not protect those who fall forward.
Japan's elderly population is very large, with nearly 30 million people over the age of 65.
At least 168 people were killed and at least 100 were injured when thousands of pilgrims stampeded on Tuesday, Sept. 30, at a Hindu Temple in the historic town of Jodhpur in Western India.
According to the BBC, a wall near the temple is said to have collapsed, causing panic among thousands of devoted worshippers marking the start of the Hindu Navaratra festival.
However, according to Ramesh Vyas, a pilgrim who was standing in line, the stampede began as false rumors of a bomb spread among the crowd.
Television footage from Jodhpur showed dozens of bodies lying on the sidewalk, while many frantic people tried restlessly to revive those unconscious worshippers. Others dragged people by their arms and legs down a ramp that leads to the temple inside the massive 15th century Mehrangarh Fort that overlooks the town.
Japan: Company Invents Airbag For People
A Japanese company says it has made an airbag designed to stop elderly people from injuring themselves by falling.
The device, to be strapped around the body, detects rapid acceleration towards the ground and can automatically inflate in 0.1 seconds, according to the BBC.
Prop. the Tokyo-based company, says the product is designed to cushion a fall using two separate pockets of air-one behind the head and one around the hips. It does not protect those who fall forward.
Japan's elderly population is very large, with nearly 30 million people over the age of 65.
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