ANTANANARIVO, Madagascar: At least 12 people died in a crush at a stadium in Madagascar on Friday as sports fans gathered for the opening ceremony of the Indian Ocean Island Games, local media reported.
The reports said Prime Minister Christian Ntsay announced the deaths. He said around 80 others had been injured, 11 of them critically.
Madagascar President Andry Rajoelina was at the ceremony at Mahamasina Stadium in the capital, Antananarivo, and asked the crowd to observe a few moments of silence for the dead, the reports said.
The stadium, which is built to hold around 41,000 people, has been the site of deadly crushes before. One person died and at least 37 were injured in a crush ahead of a qualifying game for the African Cup of Nations soccer tournament between Madagascar and Senegal in 2018. In 2019, at least 15 people died in a stampede at a music concert at the stadium.
The Indian Ocean Island Games is a multi-sports event featuring nations from the region. Athletes from Comoros, Maldives, Mautirtius, Mayotte, Reunion and Seychelles also compete at the games.
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Crush at opening ceremony of Indian Ocean Island Games in Madagascar kills at least 12
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Crush at opening ceremony of Indian Ocean Island Games in Madagascar kills at least 12
- The crush was just the latest at at Mahamasina Stadium, the site of deadly crushes before
- A crush marred an African Cup of Nations soccer tournament in 2018, and a music concert in 2019
Japan calls on Iran to avoid using force to stop protests
TOKYO: Japanese Foreign Minister MOTEGI Toshimitsu on Sunday called on Iran to avoid using force against peaceful protests.
Motegi noted that many people have been killed or injured in the ongoing protests and said Japan was “deeply concerned about the deterioration of the situation.” The country is monitoring developments closely and is opposed to the use of force.
“The government of Japan strongly calls for the immediate cessation of violence and strongly hopes for an early settlement of the situation,” Motegi said in a statement, adding the administration was taking necessary measures to protect Japanese nationals in Iran.
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