A stampede at the Opening Ceremony of the Indian Ocean Island Games killed 12 and injured around 80, Madagascar Prime Minister Christian Ntsay has said.
The incident happened as fans were trying to enter Madagascar’s national stadium on Friday.
The Opening Ceremony went ahead despite the unfortunate incident, with Ntsay saying 11 of the injured were in critical condition.
A crowd of around 50,000 people arrived for the event.
The cause for the stampede is not clear yet.
“An unfortunate event happened,” President Andry Rajoelina was quoted as saying by Reuters.
“There was a stampede at the entrance.
“There were a lot of injuries.
“We will observe a few seconds of silence because compatriots have died when they wanted to enter.”
The multi-sport event was founded by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) in 1977, and include athletes from Mauritius, Seychelles, Comoros, Madagascar, Mayotte, Réunion and the Maldives.
It is scheduled to conclude on September 3.
Red Cross workers can be seen carrying injured fans on videos shared on social media.
A similar event occurred at the Mahamasina Stadium in 2019 that killed at least 15 people.
The Opening Ceremony with laser show and fireworks took place despite the loss of lives.
The Super Eagles and their supporters will have to wait until AFCON 2027 for the…
Super Eagles talisman Victor Osimhen has opened up on the Nigerian football legends who shaped…
World Cup winner N'Golo Kante has emerged as the subject of a sensational transfer approach…
Xabi Alonso has broken his silence following his abrupt departure from Real Madrid, issuing a…
The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has announced the officiating team for the highly anticipated…
Ruben Amorim is being tipped for a sensational Premier League return just days after his…