Abidjan: At least 60 people were killed and dozens other injured in a stampede at a stadium in the Ivory Coast on Tuesday.
Reports say that it happened overnight as people gathered to watch the New Year’s Eve fireworks display in the city of Abdijan.
The head of military rescue workers, Lieutenant Colonel Issa Sako, told public television that “60 people” died and 200 were injured based on a preliminary toll. Another rescue official told AFP the toll was “61 dead and 48 injured”.
The rescue official said the injured had been taken to hospitals in Abidjan. An AFP journalist saw many injured children.
The flow of people coming to the entrance of the city’s main stadium to watch the fireworks caused a “very large crush”, Sako said. “In the crush, people were walked over and suffocated by the crowd.”
Images broadcast by RTI television showed bodies stretched lifeless on the ground. Piles of abandoned shoes and clothing could also be seen at the stadium, where soldiers and police were deployed.
With AFP inputs
This is breaking news, more details would be updated accordingly.
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