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At least 12 people were killed in a crush at a Madagascar stadium on Friday as sports fans gathered for the opening ceremony of the Indian Ocean Island Games, local media reported.
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Reports said Prime Minister Christian Ntsay announced the deaths. Another 80 people were injured, 11 of them seriously, he added.
Madagascar’s President Andry Rajoelina was at the ceremony at the Mahamasina Stadium in the capital Antananarivo and asked the crowd to observe a few moments of silence for the dead, according to reports.
The stadium, which is built to hold around 41,000 people, has been the scene of fatal crushing events in the past. One person was killed and at least 37 were injured in a crowd ahead of a football Africa Cup of Nations qualifier match between Madagascar and Senegal in 2018. In 2019, at least 15 people were killed in a stampede at a music concert in the stadium. .
The Indian Ocean Island Games are a multi-sport event involving nations from the region. Athletes from Comoros, Maldives, Mauritius, Mayotte, Reunion and Seychelles also compete in the games.
(AP)
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