Tragic stampede blamed on police

(GIN) —An inquiry into a deadly stampede at a soccer stadium in Ivory Coast has raised the possibility of police misconduct

Nineteen were killed and 130 injured as fans turned and ran from the ball park on Mar. 29 in Abidjan. While Ivorian officials have blamedthe tragedyon zealous fans trying to push their way into the stadium, fans blamed police for throwing tear gas into the crowd.

“When we arrived at the stadium, there were lots of people—more people thanthere were places,” recalled Ousmane in an interview with the BBC. “They tried to force entry. That’s when the policemen arrived with tear gas.

“In the panic, lots of people were running in every direction…W e saw men take money from people to let them enter the stadium—people who did not have tickets. And the people who did have tickets, they cannot enter.”

If tear gas was to blame, it would be the fourth time since 2001 that police firing tear gas have set off deadly stadium stampedes in Africa.

In 2000, 13 fans died at a match in Zimbabwe after police fired tear gas into the crowd. A year later, at least 123 people died in Accra, Ghana, after security forces fired tear gas and seven other fans were crushed to death in a stampede in Lubumbashi, Congo, after police fired tear gas.

This is part of the April 8, 2009 online edition of Frost Illustrated.

Have an opinion on this matter? We'd like to hear from you. Click here.