Five fans die in stadium disaster

Thomas Freeman Yeboah 09:59 - 18 September 2018

Five die in stadium stampede

Five soccer loving fans in Angola perished in a stadium disaster on Saturday.

Angola was thrown into a state of mourning after a CAF Champions League clash between Primeiro de Agosto and TP Mazembe resulted in the death of five fans at the Estadio 11 de Novembro stadium in Luanda.

The people who lost their life through the stampede were two children and three adults in the CAF Champions League quarter final game which saw Congolese side TP Mazembe hold Primeiro de Agosto to a goalless draw.

The stampede happened after fans found the gates to the stadium shut after the match. When police opened the gates, fans rushed out and some were trampled under police horses, according to witnesses.

Angola's sports ministry said in a statement late on Sunday that it regretted the deaths and that the seven injured people had already been discharged from hospital.

The sports ministry blamed the casualties partly on the fact that the start of the game had been delayed. They added that an enquiry commission would be set up to investigate the incident.

Last year, at least 17 people died and dozens were injured in another stampede at a stadium in Uige, a city in northern Angola.