A stampede at a World Cup qualifying soccer match in Côte d'Ivoire killed at least 19 people and wounded 132 Sunday, the minister of the interior announced on state TV.
Desire Tagro said fans pushed against each other, setting off a panic that led to the stampede at the game between Côte d'Ivoire and Malawi. "Lots of fans showed up," Tagro said. "They started pushing to get in because the match was about to start and each and every one of them wanted to get in."
An Associated Press photographer said people began shoving and pushing 40 minutes before the beginning of the game at the Felix Houphouet-Boigny arena. Police fired tear gas into one section of the crowd.
Ollo Kambire, a reporter for Super Sport," a daily sports newspaper, said that a wall collapsed under the weight of the fans as they pushed toward the field. "We saw people falling. ... Then there was panic and a stampede," he said. Côte d'Ivoire won the match 5-0.
There have been a number of stampedes at Africa's crowded stadiums. Badly equipped security forces are far outnumbered and are often unable to control the voluminous crowds. - Sapa-AP
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