The Nyamiha stampede took place at Nyamiha metro station in

Minsk Minsk ( be, Мінск ; russian: Минск) is the capital and the largest city of Belarus, located on the Svislach and the now subterranean Niamiha rivers. As the capital, Minsk has a special administrative status in Belarus and is the admi ...

Belarus Belarus,, , ; alternatively and formerly known as Byelorussia (from Russian ). officially the Republic of Belarus,; rus, Республика Беларусь, Respublika Belarus. is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe. It is bordered by ...

. On May 30, 1999, a sudden thunderstorm caused a number of young people to race for shelter during an open-air concert nearby. The

stampede A stampede () is a situation in which a group of large animals suddenly start running in the same direction, especially because they are excited or frightened. Non-human species associated with stampede behavior include zebras, cattle, elephants ...

was funneled into the blocked underpass of the metro station and many people (mostly young women) were killed in the ensuing crush when they started slipping on the wet pavement, falling, and trampling each other. The official death toll was 53. Belarus had a three-day mourning period after the event.

References

Human stampedes in 1999 1990s in Minsk 1999 in Belarus Man-made disasters in Belarus Minsk Metro Human stampedes in Europe {{belarus-stub