Love Parade deaths prompt call for better pastoral care at large events

A priest in the Evangelical Church in Germany (EKD) wants pastoral care to play a greater role at future large-scale events after 20 people were crushed to death at the Love Parade festival on Saturday.

Joachim Mueller-Lange is priest in charge of emergency pastoral care for the EKD in the Rheinland and is overseeing the deployment of 50 church-based emergency counsellors in the wake of the tragedy.

Nineteen revellers were crushed to death and more than 340 injured when panic broke out in an access tunnel at the techno festival in the Germany city of Duisburg on Saturday. The death toll rose to 20 when a 21-year-old woman later died of her injuries.

The team of church councillors has been offering 24/7 care to grieving friends and relatives of victims and traumatised survivors.

The church counsellors are working alongside 50 emergency counsellors from the emergency services and police.

The church counsellors described revellers being in a “desperate” state after becoming separated from friends and partners as panic swept through the access tunnel.

Mueller-Lange said many revellers had been deeply shaken by the mass panic.

“Many had to get past the weight of the circumstances as they tried to initiate first aid and had to look on as people died in their arms,” he said.

Police have launched an investigation into the tragedy amid a backlash from members of the public who are angry that a venue with only one foot tunnel to access the site was selected to host the festival, which attracted 1.4 million people.

The anger was evident yesterday when the Mayor of Duisburg, Adolf Sauerland, was chased away from a vigil being held for victims near the foot tunnel yesterday.

Mueller-Lange said the Love Parade tragedy had made clear how important pastoral care is at large-scale events.

Although recommendations have been made before for large events to provide emergency counsellors, Mueller-Lange demanded clear guidelines for all future events.

“I would like to see [pastoral care] integrated into the emergency response – no ifs and no buts,” he said.

Richard Bannert, an emergency counsellor from a church in Duisburg, said an emergency helpline had been set up for all those affected by the tragedy. He said it would be available for as long as it was needed.

He said: “We know from experience just how important remembering anniversaries can be.”

German Chancellor Angela Merkel is due to visit the site.

She said: "There must be a very intense examination of how this happened. We must do everything to prevent this from happening again."

The Love Parade has taken place annually since it was first held in Berlin in 1989. Organisers said there would be no more Love Parades after this year's tragedy.