Фото: t.me/minskoemetro
Memorial events marking the 27th anniversary of the Niamiha tragedy were held at the Niamiha metro station in Minsk on May 30. A liturgy in memory of the victims was conducted, followed by a religious procession and the laying of flowers at the Roses memorial, the Minsk Metro reported.
Twenty-seven years ago, on May 30, 1999, a beer festival and a concert by the band Mango-Mango, organized by Radio Mir, were taking place near the Sports Palace. At around 8:40 p.m., a sudden thunderstorm with hail began, and about 2,500 people rushed to seek shelter in the underground passage near the Niamiha metro station. Fifty-three people were killed in the crush, including 40 young women and two police officers who had tried to stop the crowd. Most of the victims were between 14 and 20 years old. Many others were injured.
Representatives of the police and the Minsk City Executive Committee were investigated in the criminal case, but in 2002 it was closed due to the expiration of the statute of limitations.
On the third anniversary of the tragedy, on May 30, 2002, a memorial was unveiled at the site of the disaster. It consists of 53 bronze flowers — 40 roses and 13 tulips, corresponding to the number of women and men who died. An inscription on the steps reads: “53 scars on the heart of Belarus. May 30, 1999.”