A stampede of sports fans trying to enter Madagascar’s national stadium for the opening ceremony of the Indian Ocean Island Games has killed at least 12 and left around 80 injured, according to the country’s prime minister.

Videos shared on social media showed Red Cross workers caring for dozens of injured people next to the athletics track.

Prime Minister Christian Ntsay said 11 of the injured were in a critical condition. It was not immediately clear what caused the stampede at the 41,000 capacity Mahamasina stadium.

“An unfortunate event happened. There was a stampede at the entrance. There were a lot of injuries. We will observe a few seconds of silence because compatriots have died when they wanted to enter,” President Andry Rajoelina told the crowd in the stadium.

Be the first to get Breaking News

Install the Sky News app for free

After the silence, the ceremony continued with a laser show and fireworks.

Read more:
Indonesia football stampede: 32 children among dead as death toll rises

At least 15 people were killed in a similar incident during a music concert at the stadium in 2019, and in 2018 one person died and at least 37 were injured in a crush ahead of a qualifying football match for the African Cup of Nations between Madagascar and Senegal in 2018.

The Indian Ocean Island Games were created by the International Olympic Committee in 1977, and include athletes from Mauritius, Seychelles, Comoros, Madagascar, Mayotte, Reunion and the Maldives.

Related posts:

At least 32 people killed in forest fires in Algeria Canadian businessman jailed for 11 years in China on spying charges Dual-nationality Afghans touching down in Doha feel safe but angry at West Israel recaptures Palestinians who escaped max-security jail through cell floor European Parliament’s president David Sassoli dead, aged 65 ‘He will leave a lasting legacy’: Landmine-detecting ‘hero rat’ Magawa dies aged eight Japan’s police chief to quit over assassination of former PM Shinzo Abe Putin to increase size of Russian armed forces by 137,000 personnel Bolsonaro to be investigated for allegedly inciting riots at Brazil’s government buildings Chinese ship used laser against coast guard vessel, Philippines says EU economy projected to avoid recession China claims US balloons flew over its airspace ‘more than 10 times over the past year’