ANTANANARIVO, Madagascar (CelebrityAccess) — A stampede at a concert in Madagascar’s capital on Wednesday night left at least 15 dead and dozens injured.
According to the Associated Press, the stampede started just before the concert by popular local artist Rossy started. As fans attempted to enter the venue, crowd surge caused multiple deaths from trampling and left at least 80 people injured the AP said.
“The show was about to start and people heard that they could enter the stadium but the police had left the doors closed. People tried to force the doors but they remained closed. The crowd kept pushing. People fell and at least 15 have died,” said Gen. Richard Ravalomanana, in charge of the National Gendarmerie told the Associated Press.
The death toll from the tragedy is expected to rise, and doctors told the AP that multiple victims have been hospitalized with critical wounds.
This is the second deadly crowd surge at the stadium in the last year. In September, a crowd surge during a soccer match between Madagascar and Senegal left one person dead and almost 40 injured.
Earlier this year, Madagascar’s regional football association participated in a pilot program hosted by FIFA aimed at improving venue security and safety at stadiums in Africa.
