Sports Over 15 dead in football match stampede in DR Congo

[LequteMan]

At least 15 people died and 30 others were injured in a stampede that occurred during a football match between TP Mazembe and AS Vita Club at the Tata Raphael Stadium in Kinshasa,Congo DR.

The death toll was announced on Monday in a statement issued by the Interior Ministry.

A source in the DR #Congo Red Cross said earlier on Sunday that the death toll could rise.

``The number of deaths will certainly rise, we believe at least 20 people died and over 100 were injured,’’ the source from the Congolese Red Cross said.

A source from the stadium said that the match between two popular football teams in the country had been played in a sporting spirit until towards the end, with the score standing at 1-0 in favour of TP Mazembe.

``Supporters of Vita Club who were seated on one side of the stadium were not pleased with TP Mazembe's victory over their team,’’ the source from the pitch said.

It said that they consequently, started throwing stones and other objects on the football pitch, forcing the referee to stop the game several times.

By the 90th minute, the score was still 1-0 before the referee added five minutes.

It added that it was at this point that AS Vita Club supporters threw more stones on the pitch.

However, the referee was forced to blow the final whistle even before the end of normal time.

Due to the rising tension, police officers decided to throw tear gas canisters on the side of V.Club supporters to disperse them.

Meanwhile, supporters of V.Club started seeking exit to leave the stadium and in the confusion that ensued, a section of the stadium wall collapsed and a gate was broken, resulting to deaths and injuries.

#CAF President Issa Hayatou said in a statement: "I would like to express my deepest sympathy on hearing of the untimely deaths of at least 15 people during the match of AS Vita and #TPMazembe. Personally, and on behalf of the members of the African football community, I should be grateful if you could extend our deepest condolences to their families, friends and loved ones. Further, we wish those that have been reported injured and receiving medical assistance full recovery," Hayatou said.

In reiterating CAF's strong position on combating all forms of violence at stadia, #Hayatou said: "I wish to re-emphasize that any acts of violence have no place in football. They must be condemned in the strongest possible terms and I urge the Fecofa and authorities in the DRC to thoroughly investigate this matter and ensure that measures put in place to avoid a repeat of any incidents are fully briefed with CAF and forestall any such occurrence."