CINCINNATI — (AP) — "I couldn't believe it. They could see the people all piled up and they still tried to climb over them just to get in," said one man who watched in horror as 11 persons died in a crushing human wave surging into Riverfront Coliseum for a rock concert by "The Who."

Police Lt. Col. Joseph Staff said seven young men and four young women were trampled and killed when the mob pushed into the hall on the Ohio River in a crush of bodies that continued for 30 minutes.

Eight other persons were seriously injured, police said. Twenty more were treated at four hospitals and released.

The Monday night concert, which drew an audience of more than 18,000 people, went on as scheduled and "The Who" made no mention of the tragedy during their performance.

"We decided to let the concert go on. If we stopped it, we would have had a worse panic," said Lt. Dale Menkhaus who led 25 police officers in a crowd-control detail.

Menkhaus estimated that more than 6,000 people, some who had waited more than three hours, were crowded on the Coliseum's plaza level waiting for the doors to open. Many had been drinking and smoking marijuana.

As at some past rock concerts, some seats were reserved, but about half were available on a first-come, first-served basis. Authorities said pushing incidents in the past had led to arrests.

"The group likes to do a little sound test," Menkhaus said. When the crowd heard the music, it surged forward.

"They opened only two doors. They have about 50. I suggested they open more, but was told there wasn't enough personnel to open more," Menkhaus said.

"First a bottle crashed through the glass. Then they started pushing more glass out and they started pouring in. We couldn't stop them," said Ray Schwertman, an usher.

Dick Ogburn, a concertgoer from Lexington, Ky., said, "People were going down. I saw people's heads being stepped on. I fell and I couldn't get up. People kept pushing me down. I was afraid for my life."

Menkhaus said it was nearly 30 minutes before his officers could mount a charge into the crowd. "We found the first bodies about 15 feet from the door outside," he said.

Dr. Al Trott, emergency room supervisor at Cincinnati General Hospital, said all victims suffered "footprint-like injuries."

"Some made it. Some died within two or three minutes," said Isy D'Agostino, a nurse from Dayton. "It's a real sad way to go."

City Safety Director Richard Castellini said he will ask the City Council to pass a law requiring that all seats be reserved at future events. "It's the urgency of getting a seat that makes this happen," he said.

"This is a terrible tragedy," said City Manager Sylvester Murray, who said he would open an investigation today.

"The Who," among the oldest surviving British rock groups, is featured in a recently released film, "Quadrophenia." The four-member group

(See 11 DEAD on Page 10.)

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CINCINNATI — (AP) — Concertgoers and a policeman stand in a pile of shoes and clothing which were left after a crowd surged toward the doors to Cincinnati's Riverfront Coliseum to get into a rock concert. The clothing was strewn around the entrances where several were killed. Coliseum officials later swept up the pile near the door.

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CINCINNATI — (AP) — A sellout crowd surrounds the stage during a concert by The Who in Cincinnati's Riverfront Coliseum Monday night. Eleven people were killed as they tried to enter the concert, but police said the concert was started anyway because they feared a riot if it was called off.