the Duisburg emergency task force, Wolfgang Rabe, said he has made available all documents pertaining to the incident to the Duisburg public prosecutor's office.

He said the Love Parade venue could accommodate some 300,000 people and was not full when the stampede occurred. Referring to the ongoing investigation, none of the officials at the press conference answered questions as to why the Love Parade's main entrance led through a tunnel.

Cause of the tragedy

Officials didn't stop the party immediately to prevent further panic

The blame-game has already begun with the police trade union in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia, where the incident occurred, throwing the first salvo. The union has accusing the organizers of the Love Parade of careless preparation.

Those who lost their lives were victims "of the material interests ofan organizer," said the police union's regional chairman, Wolfgang Orscheschek.

Witnesses to the stampede also criticized the event's organizers, with one man describing the proceedings as "organized chaos," while others reported that there was simply "no way out."

DJ Dr. Motte, a founder of the festival that originated in Berlin in 1989, wrote on his blog that having one single entrance to the festival through a tunnel harbored "catastrophe by itself."

Author: Darren Mara, David Levitz (AP/dpa/AFP)

Editor: Sean Sinico