A stampede at a stadium in Kinshasa, the Democratic Republic of Congo’s capital, killed seven people, according to local police.
The event occurred on Saturday at the Stade de Martyrs stadium in the city’s north, during a concert by Congolese gospel artist Mike Kalambayi.
On X, state broadcaster RTNC reported “seven deaths and several people admitted to intensive care”.
“Overflows and crowd movements” at the stadium resulted in the death of men,” Kinshasa Governor Daniel Bumba’s administration said in a statement late Saturday.
The stadium has a capacity of 80,000 people. Maajabu Gospel, the event organisers, reported that 30,000 people attended the concert.
“It is with deep sadness that we learnt of the deaths of our compatriots who lost their lives, while the security services were trying to neutralise some troublemakers,” the statement read.
Eleven people died in a stampede that occurred in the same stadium in 2022, including two police officers and nine fans. Theincident took place at one of African music artist Fally Ipupa’s concerts.
Final Thoughts
The recurrence of such incidents at the same venue, as seen with the previous stampede in 2022, suggests a need for improved emergency preparedness and response plans.
This includes having clear evacuation procedures, better communication with attendees, and coordination with local emergency services.
