World Cup Death Watch - Update 4

Seven more people have lost their lives to the 2006 World Cup. The death count now stands at 50.

A 25 year old South Korean college student died after suffering a suspected heart attack while watching his country play Switzerland on a giant TV screen in Seoul. Five other people died in Asia as well. In Japan, a 60 year old man hung himself after his team lost to Germany. A Chinese man collapsed and died in Malaysia while watching Argentina play Mexico, and Malaysia's Daily Express reported that the man may have made a bet on the game. Another Chinese man jumped to his death from a hotel in Baoji City after The Netherlands lost to Portugal, making the ninth World Cup related death in China, the highest total for any country. Back in Malaysia, the body of a 28 year old man was found ten days after he had disappeared. Police believe he had been killed by loan sharks after he was unable to pay back the money he borrowed to bet on World Cup games. In Thailand, one football fan stabbed another to death during an argument over the penalty kick that decided the Italy-Australia game. And in the only non-Asian death (since the last update), a Ghanaian man expired as Ronaldo scored his first goal in Brazil's win over Ghana.

BJ wrote that Sports Illustrated reported a South Korean suicide, when a man set himself on fire following Korea's loss to The Swiss. But I haven't been able to find any verification of this report.

But all is not death and despair here at the World Cup Death Watch desk. There has been much good news as well. There have been numerous World Cup related births and pregnancies, and more importantly, there have been two World Cup related resurrections. The second one happened in South Korea, when a clinically dead man got up and walked out of the hospital.

Alas, even a resurrection does not lower the official death count.

Tune in to People Like Us this Monday at 7pm when Vicki plays an hour of the best and worst football chants from around the world.

Comments

[vanjulio]

I haven't been this excited about a single radio programme since the Cake shows on Intelligent Design. TOR FUR DEUTSCHLAND!

[awesome flower]

don't forget the little death of the goal itself.

[Kendall]

Here's some verification of the South Korean man committing suicide. But it's related to the 2002 World Cup.
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/soccer/world/2002/world_cup/news/2002/06/14/korea_suicide_rb/

[Giamaica]

Expext to have quite a lot of deaths during last nite's italian celebrations for the victory against germany.
People really went mad, driving like crazies, completely drunk.

Many people got damages on their car beacuse they were not celebrating enough.
Policemen and Fire squads where attacked in naples because they where trying to calm down the whirl of cars in citycenter

[Giamaica]

http://www.repubblica.it/2006/07/dirette/sezioni/calcio/mondiali/5luglio/index.html

2 people shot dead in Somalia during the protests against the suspension of a public broadcasting of the match Italy-Germany

[Pat]

Here's an article about World Cup injuries that were narrowly averted - police in Berlin arrested 2 guys who were placing cement-filled soccer balls around the city with signs inviting people to kick them. Very diabolical....

http://www.boingboing.net/2006/07/05/cruel_trick_concrete.html