May 28. (EUROPE PRESS) –
One person has died and another 30 have been injured as a result of a human stampede that occurred during the first leg of the final of the CAF Confederation Cup of soccer in the most important city of Tanzania, Dar es Salaam.
The incident, under investigation, occurred at the Benjamin Mkapa Stadium during the match between the hosts, Young Africans and USM Alger from Algeria.
“We have received a report of one death among the 30 people who were injured in the stampede,” Health Minister Ummy Mwalimu said on Twitter.
Almost all the tickets for the game were bought by institutions or businessmen (the president, Samia Suluhu Hasan bought 5,000) to donate them to the fans. However, many young supporters without tickets broke through the side access gates, causing the stampede, authorities report to the Tanzanian newspaper ‘The Citizen’.
The injured have been transferred to a nearby hospital for treatment, the minister added, without giving further details.
The match ended up being played anyway and the Algerian team won the match 2-1. The return final will be played in Algiers on June 3.
