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At least 13 people, including seven children, were killed on Friday in a crowd stampede at a stadium in Madagascar’s capital Antananarivo, as per the Red Cross and a local member of parliament, as reported by the news agency AFP.
“So far, 13 people have been killed and 107 injured,” said opposition MP Hanitra Razafimanantsoa.
A stampede occurred at the entrance of the Barea stadium in Madagascar’s capital Antananarivo, where a crowd of around 50,000 spectators had arrived to attend the opening ceremony of the Indian Ocean Island Games. The reason behind the stampede was not immediately known, but the Red Cross claimed that the toll could climb.
Madagascar President Andry Rajoelina, who was present at the opening ceremony, called for a minute’s silence.
TV images broadcast images of dazed and shocked people trying to locate their shoes piled amongst objects lost in the deadly crush, as per AFP.
The images from inside the stadium that surfaced on social media showed the stands packed with spectators.
The Indian Ocean Island Games are a multi-disciplinary competition being held in Madagascar until September 3. The Games are being staged every four years in different islands in the south-west Indian Ocean for around 40 years.
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