Thursday, 28 October 2020 (YJC)_ Hundreds of President Trump's supporters were left waiting in freezing cold temperatures after shuttle buses were unable to return.
Hundreds of President Trump's supporters were left waiting in freezing cold temperatures Tuesday evening after shuttle buses taking attendees of his rally in Omaha, Neb., were unable to return many supporters from the venue to their cars.
It wasn't initially clear why the shuttle buses provided by the Trump campaign were delayed, though traffic outside of the airfield where the event took place was reportedly heavy and cell service was spotty and slow, hampering police communications.
Some attendees remained on-site until nearly 1 a.m., according to the Omaha World-Herald, which noted that the president's remarks ended around 9 p.m.
Trump campaign officials told the newspaper that crowds estimated around 29,000 contributed to the delays but added that their buses were sufficient for those attending.
“We need at least 30 more buses," one Omaha police officer told CNN, however.
"There was no direction given. I expected at the end of the rally somebody will say, 'Go this way and there will be buses waiting,'" one rally volunteer told the World-Herald.
The buses did not return after the first load of attendees were picked up "for an hour and a half," added the volunteer, Kris Beckenbach.
In a statement to The Hill, the Trump campaign's deputy national press secretary attributed the delays to local road closures and congestion.
“President Trump loves his supporters and was thrilled to visit Omaha last night. Despite the cold, tens of thousands of people showed up for his rally. Because of the sheer size of the crowd, we deployed 40 shuttle buses – double the normal allotment – but local road closures and resulting congestion caused delays. At the guest departure location, we had tents, heaters, generators, hot cocoa, and handwarmers available for guests. We always strive to provide the best guest experience at our events and we care about their safety," said Samantha Zager.
At least seven people were reportedly hospitalized and 30 were treated on site.
Omaha police did not immediately return a request for comment on the exact number of hospitalizations or the reason for the delays in shuttle buses returning to the venue.
Source: NBC
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