Seven people lost their lives in a stampede at the Stade de Martyrs stadium in Kinshasa, the capital of the Democratic Republic of Congo, during a concert by Congolese gospel singer Mike Kalambayi, local authorities reported.
The tragic incident occurred on Saturday in the stadium located in the north of the city. State broadcaster RTNC confirmed on social media platform X that ‘seven deaths and several people admitted to intensive care’ were reported.
According to a statement from the cabinet of Kinshasa governor Daniel Bumba, ‘overflows and crowd movements’ at the venue ‘resulted in the death of men.’
The stadium, which has a capacity of 80,000 people, was hosting around 30,000 attendees, as noted by event organisers Maajabu Gospel. They expressed their sorrow, stating, ‘It is with deep sadness that we learned of the deaths of our compatriots who lost their lives while the security services were trying to neutralise some troublemakers.’
AFP news agency attempted to contact local authorities for further comments but did not receive an immediate response.
This is not the first tragedy at the Stade de Martyrs. In 2022, a stampede at a concert by African music star Fally Ipupa resulted in eleven deaths, including nine spectators and two police officers.
AFP
