Garut, West Java. Three people, including an eight-year-old girl, were killed in a stampede during a public celebration in Garut, West Java, marking the wedding of Deputy Regent Luthfianisa Putri Karlina and Maula Akbar, the oldest son of West Java Governor Dedi Mulyadi, on Friday.

Thousands had gathered at Garut’s town square and Pendopo complex to enjoy the public entertainment and free food distribution promised as part of the wedding festivities. But the crowd soon became uncontrollable, leading to a deadly crush.

Among the victims was 8-year-old Vania Aprilia, who had come with her mother, Mela Puri, to enjoy the public celebration. “We just wanted to join the joy of our leaders’ wedding,” said Mela, struggling to hold back tears after Vania was pronounced dead at Dr. Slamet Regional Hospital following the incident.

Another victim was Dewi Jubaeda, a 61-year-old housewife from Garut. She had been excited to witness the festivities but was caught in the surging crowd while queuing to enter the Pendopo area. She collapsed and died at the scene.

The third victim was Cecep Saeful Bahri, 39, a Garut police officer on duty to help manage the crowd. Cecep collapsed while trying to calm the increasingly restless crowd pushing against the gates. He is survived by his wife and two children.

West Java Police spokesperson Hendra Rochmawan said Cecep had been assisting with crowd control near the entrance to the entertainment stage area and even helped a fainting attendee before collapsing himself.

“After the situation was under control and there was no crowding, he sat down to rest. During that moment, he fainted and then passed away before receiving medical treatment,” Hendra told reporters in Bandung on Friday.

Witnesses described the crowd growing increasingly dense after Friday prayers, with pushing and shoving escalating as people tried to enter the venue. “It was packed, people were pushing each other,” said Aef, 55, a witness at the scene.

Despite the tragedy, entertainment on the main stage continued, with music performances carrying on as if nothing had happened, even as news of the deaths began to circulate among attendees.

Authorities had deployed police and public order officers to manage the crowd, but the measures proved insufficient as the number of attendees overwhelmed security arrangements.

In a statement, West Java Governor Dedi Mulyadi expressed deep condolences and apologized for the tragedy. “On behalf of myself, my family, and representing my son and daughter-in-law, Deputy Garut Regent Luthfianisa Putri Karlina, I offer my deepest apologies,” Dedi said in a video message on Friday.

As a form of responsibility, Dedi announced that the families of each victim would receive Rp150 million in compensation, instructing his team to immediately visit the victims’ families to deliver condolences and the assistance in person.

“We all must learn from this incident. Public safety must be the top priority in any event involving large crowds,” he concluded.