Stampede kills 19 at Ivory Coast stadium
Published:Monday | March 30, 2009 | 10:07 AM
At least 19 people have died in a stampede at a football stadium during a World Cup qualifier in Ivory Coast yesterday.
The Ministry of Sport and the Ivorian Football Federation have confirmed the number of deaths and say the incident occurred when thousands of fans tried to squeeze into the city’s main stadium.
More than 130 people were injured in the stampede at the Houphouet-Boigny arena in the West African country’s city of Abidjan.
About 36 thousand spectators were in the stadium, where hosts Ivory Coast beat Malawi 5-nil.