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Friday
Mar 12th

19 die in a crush at Abidjan stadium

Abidjan, Cote d'Ivoire - Nineteen people were left dead and dozens were injured on Sunday, following a stampede at the stadium in Abidjan during the match between Cote d'Ivoire and Malawi in the qualifiers for the 2010 World Cup and African Cup of Nations.

The stampede occurred when some fans wanted to force their way into the 35,000-capacity stadium, even after it was filled to the brim.

Some witnesses said that one of the stadium gates collapsed under pressure from the fans, while the police aggravated the situation by using teargas to disperse the crowd.

Home Minister Desire Tagro has appealed for calm and invited family members of the victims to help identify them at the various mortuaries to which their bodies were taken.

The Elephants of Cote d'Ivoire beat Malawi 5-0 in the match to take the lead in group E, which also includes Guinea and Burkina Faso.
 
Abidjan - 30/03/2009

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