Stampede kills 23 at Sudan graduation ceremony
July 13, 2008 (KHARTOUM) — A stampede killed 23 people at a Sudanese football stadium on Sunday as a graduation ceremony for youth embarking on their national service was being held, said police and hospital officials.
“Crowds trying to get into al-Mureikh football stadium in Omdurman led to the deaths of 23 people. The majority of them are women and children, and 36 people were injured who are now in Omdurman Hospital,” said Sudanese police in a statement.
Relatives flocked to the stadium in Khartoum’s twin city of Omdurman to watch youth graduate after their basic training before the onset of their one-year obligatory military service.
Morgue official Talal Mohamed said 23 bodies, including children, were brought to the morgue after the incident in Khartoum’s twin city of Omdurman.
The graduation celebration still went ahead in the presence of Defence Minister Abdel Rahim Mohamed Hussein and Presidential Adviser Nafie Ali Nafie.
Witnesses at the stadium said there were huge numbers of people pushing at the doors and access was poorly organised. They heard ambulance sirens but did not see those who were killed.
(agencies)
Axan
Stampede kills 23 at Sudan graduation ceremony
Condolences to the families of the victims. It’s sorryful incidents like that wage unbearable pains on the innocent people…instead, it they should happen to criminals like al bashier, Nafe, or the so-called defense minister, who are ignoring the looming punishment from God for their evilish actions on innocent people of Durfur… and this incident prove it right because the young men being graduated are potential army to be sent to durfur or elsewhere in Sudan for action.
Ajuong Ayany De puorgook
Stampede kills 23 at Sudan graduation ceremony
I would like to advise the authorities in Universities in Sudan to organize such acedamic functions to avoid these problems which lead to death.