A chaotic scene that took place at a soccer stadium prior to a league match in Angola saw 76 casualties, five of whom are in serious condition and at least 17 of whom died. The accident occurred on Friday in Uige, a northwestern city of roughly 800,000, after hundreds of people rushed a stadium gate because they weren't admitted into the game on time. This resulted in a number of people being tripped and stepped on.
"When we wanted to go in, we found a barrier," said fan João Silva, who broke his foot in the ensuing stampede. "The first row of people fell down ... I was in the third layer [of people]."
State-run TV reports that the fans ultimately responsible for the totally avoidable tragedy had disregarded safety instructions as they all tried to force their way into a single gate. Domingos Vika, an attendee who broke his hand, said, "When they gave the opportunity for everyone to come in, we were all packed at the gate already."
The disaster took place at the inaugural game that pitted home team Santa Rita de Cassia against Recreativo de Libolo in the country's national Girabola competition. According to witnesses, permitting those fans into the contest would've caused the stadium to surpass its 8,000 seat capacity. Portuguese news agency Lusa adds that some of the dead were children.
Angola's president, José Eduardo dos Santos, has opened up an investigation into the incident.
Despite the disaster the game went on as scheduled, with Santa Rita de Cássia winning the contest by a score of 1-0.
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