This Friday, August 25, there was a stampede at one of the entrances to the Barea stadium in Antananarivo, where the opening ceremony of the 11th edition of the Indian Ocean Island Games took place. According to Prime Minister Christian Ntsay, the provisional balance confirms the death of at least 12 people.
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A stampede at the Barea stadium this Friday, August 25, left 12 people dead, including seven minors, and around 80 injured, according to figures provided by the Red Cross, as well as the preliminary count announced by the first Minister Christian Ntsay.
Crowds gathered at the Barea Stadium in the capital Antananarivo, where 50,000 spectators gathered to watch the opening of the Indian Ocean Island Games. However, joy turned into tragedy.
Social networks were filled with videos showing Red Cross workers attending to the many injured people in the vicinity of the athletics track.
Suite à la bousculade à l’entrée du Stade Barea, 12 décès sont à déplorer. 80 blesseds are equally enregistrés aux urgencies of the HJRA. A government delegation conducting for the Prime Minister Christian Ntsay is currently sur place. pic.twitter.com/FaNtSO5Whe
— Orange Actu Madagascar (@orangeactu) August 25, 2023
The prime minister announced that of the injured, 11 were in a critical condition.
“An unfortunate event has taken place. A stampede occurred at the entrance. There are many injured. In honor of our compatriots who died while trying to enter, let us observe a few moments of silence,” declared President Andry Rajoelina, who also appeared at the ceremony.
The Indian Ocean Island Games represent a multidisciplinary competition that this year is being held in Madagascar until September 3. These games have been held every four years since 1979, covering various islands in the southwest of the Indian Ocean.
The third stampede in five years
The tragic incident at the stadium in the capital is not isolated. In 2019 there was a stampede that shocked the country during the celebrations for independence day, which left 16 people dead and 101 injured, according to the authorities of the African country.
The event took place at the Mahamasina Stadium in the capital, Antananarivo, when the crowd crowded the entrance of the venue as they tried to enter. The stadium gate proved insufficient to accommodate the 60,000 waiting people, leading to chaos.
In September 2018, almost 40 soccer fans were also injured and one person lost their lives in similar circumstances while trying to enter the same stadium.
With EFE, Reuters and local media
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