At least 12 people have lost there lifes and 80 injured after a stampede of sport fans trying to enter Madagascar’s national stadium for the opening ceremony of the Indian Ocean Island Games.
The stampede happened at the entrance to the Barea stadium on Friday, when roughly 50,000 people had gathered to watch the game.
“The preliminary toll is 12 dead and 80 injured,” Madagascar’s Prime Minister Christian Ntsay told reporters at an Antananarivo hospital.
The Indian Ocean Island Games are a multi-disciplinary competition taking place in Madagascar till September 3.
They were established in 1977 by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and feature athletes from Mauritius, Seychelles, Comoros, Madagascar, Mayotte, Réunion, and the Maldives.
Madagascar’s President, Andry Rajoelina, called for a minute of silence during the opening ceremony.
