Patti Smith Lays Memorial to Mark Roskilde Deaths

Danish rock festival Roskilde began on Thursday, July 1, with a ceremony marking the 10th anniversary of the lives lost in a fatal crush that took place at the event.

The memorial itself was led by US singer Patti Smith who threw nine roses onto the crowd to represent the lives of the nine victims, the BBC reported.

In 2000, a crowd of an estimated 50,000 people were watching headliners Pearl Jam when a massive surge ensued, killing nine people and injuring 43 in the melee. Police at the time said that the victims were at the front of the crowd and slipped on a ground muddied by rain, whilst Pearl Jam themselves expressed "severe anguish" over the deaths -- which they had tried to prevent by repeatedly urging people to cease their charge.

A subsequent inquiry into the investigation found that the tragedy was a result of nothing more than "a chain of unfortunate circumstances." Nevertheless, the events of Roskilde 2000 have been one of the key factors in all major festivals now fitting separating barriers between the main stage front crowd and those behind them.

Nine trees have also been planted on the festival site to remind people of the event. The festival runs over four days this year and features over 150 acts including -- fresh from Glastonbury -- Muse and Gorillaz, and the Prodigy.