Indian Ocean Island Games Opening – Deadly Stampede at Madagascar Stadium

According to the Red Cross and a member of the local parliament, a mob stampede that occurred on Friday at a stadium in Antananarivo, the capital city of Madagascar, resulted in the deaths of at least 13 people, including seven children. According to opposition MP Hanitra Razafimanantsoa, who was speaking on a local radio station, there have been 107 people injured and 13 people murdered thus far.

The Red Cross, who were there at the disaster site, stated that “we do not yet have the final list. Seven children were killed. The original toll was reported to be “12 dead and some 80 injured,” according to Christian Ntsay, the Prime Minister of the republic that resides in the Indian Ocean.

A crowd of around 50,000 spectators had gathered at the entrance to the Barea stadium to see the opening ceremony of the Indian Ocean Island Games when a stampede broke out there. The initial cause of the catastrophe was not immediately revealed, but the Red Cross warned that the number of casualties could rise. “There were a lot of people at the entrance, which triggered a stampede,” Antsa Mirado, a communications manager with the Red Cross, informed the media.

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The President of Madagascar, Andry Rajoelina, who was in attendance at the inauguration ceremony, asked everyone to observe a moment of quiet. “A fatal event occurred as a result of the pushing that took place. “There were deaths and injuries at the entrance,” he stated in a speech that was broadcast over television.

The images that were carried on television showed people who appeared bewildered and startled as they searched for their shoes amid the other items that were lost in the fatal crush. Other images taken inside the stadium and shared on social media showed that everyone was sitting in the stands.

The Indian Ocean Island Games are a multi-sport event that will take place in Madagascar until September 3rd. The games will be conducted in Madagascar. Since the late 1970s, they have been held once every four years on a rotating basis on several islands located in the southwest region of the Indian Ocean. The prior competition was held in Mauritius, and it was quite successful.

There have been fatalities in stadiums in Madagascar before. A similar tragedy occurred in 2019 at the Barea stadium, which is the largest venue on the island and has over 28 million inhabitants. A performance that was held on the occasion of the country’s national holiday resulted in the deaths of at least 16 individuals and injuries to scores more. There were three youngsters in the group of victims.