At least thirteen people, including seven minors, were killed in Madagascar in a crowd at the entrance to a stadium in the capital, packed for the opening of an Indian Ocean sports competition.
The tragedy occurred in front of one of the entrances to the Barea stadium in Antananarivo, where a crowd of around 50,000 spectators had gathered to watch the launch of the eleventh Indian Ocean Islands Games. The toll is still provisional but, according to a Malagasy deputy, thirteen people died in the crush and more than a hundred were injured. “So far there are 13 dead and 107 injured,” opposition politician Hanitra Razafimanantsoa told local radio. According to the Red Cross on site, among the victims there are seven minors. The rescuers have drawn up an initial list of the injured. The victims were between 5 and 70 years old. Among them, many teenagers.