Game show stampede kills dozens
Thousands lined up to see 'Wowowee," which offers big prizes
MANILA, Philippines (AP) -- At least 66 people were killed when a stampede erupted early Saturday outside a stadium near Manila where tens of thousands of people had lined up to watch to watch a popular game show, officials said.
About 30,000 people were waiting to get inside the stadium to watch the popular game show, "Wowowee," when the mayhem erupted, said Vicente Eusebio, the mayor of Pasig, the Manila suburb where the stampede occurred.
He said at least 66 people died -- 63 of them women.
Lito Vergel de Dios, executive director of Metro Manila Development Authority, told a Manila radio station that one witness said somebody in the crowd shouted there was a bomb, but there was no sign of any explosion.
Other witness accounts carried by Manila radio said the stampede broke out when guards refused to open the gates to the stadium, causing pushing and shoving among the crowd.
Merquieades Salazar cried over the body of his wife, who was among those crushed. Salazar, 45, said the couple was jobless and wanted to try their luck at winning a raffle with a jackpot equivalent to 20,000 pesos (U.S. $384).
"In the desire to win money, she is the one I lost," Merquieades sobbed as he stroke his dead wife's hair.
Authorities were collecting the dead and lining up the bodies on a street outside the stadium for identification as bags and shoes lay scattered outside the open-air stadium compound.
Police Superintendent Gerry Galvan said there were at least 50 dead on a street outside the stadium and the rest were taken to hospitals. Army soldiers loaded some of the bodies into a truck.
Radio DZBB reported that hospitals were overwhelmed with the scores of injured and were using parking lots to accommodate them.
Vice President Noli de Castro arrived at the scene and told police to clear the way for rescue workers and vehicles.
"We did not want this to happen. It's just that there were so many people wanting to watch 'Wowowee' because of the big prizes awaiting them," de Castro said.
The game show, organized by ABS-CBN TV network, is extremely popular in the Philippines because it offers big prizes, like cars and money.
People had lined up for two days to get tickets.
"There were so many people, but they did not want to open the gate and two of our companions died," a weeping woman told DZBB radio outside the University of Life Sports Stadium, known as ULTRA.
Copyright 2006 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. | 
.. no, don't worry.. i wasn't looking at rings this whole time.. 
.. anyway.. this setting that i want can only hold a 1.00 carat diamond.. but i think that's good enough for me.. 
.. i really like the antique setting cuz i've always wanted something different.. but i could never really find anything that i liked.. but i think i really found the one!!.. 
.. now the next problem is.. dun dun duuuuun!!.. finding someone's who's willing to pay for it [scroll down to the bottom to see the total damage!!].. 
.. oh well.. a girl can dream, can't she??.. 
