Twenty-two
people were killed outside an Egyptian soccer stadium on Sunday when security
forces barred fans from entering, the public prosecutor's office said.
Most of
the dead were suffocated when the crowd stampeded after police used tear gas to
clear the fans trying to force their way into a league match between two Cairo
clubs, Zamalek and Enppi, doctors and witnesses said.
A health
ministry spokesman said that the final toll was 19 dead and 20 injured. The
reason for the discrepancy in numbers between the health ministry and the
public prosecutor's office was not immediately clear.
Soccer
matches are often a flash point for violence in Egypt where 72 fans were killed
at a match in Port Said in February 2012. Since then Egypt has curbed the
number of people allowed to attend, and supporters have often tried to storm
stadiums they are banned from entering.
Outside
the Cairo hospital treating the injured, scores of youths wearing Zamalek
T-shirts appeared shocked as families arrived to see if their relatives were
safe. One
mother cried and shouted when she found the name of her son on a list of the
dead posted by hospital staff.
The
public prosecution ordered the arrest of the leaders of the Zamalek supporters
group, Ultras White Knights, after Sunday's incident, official media reported.
Violence does not stops Match...
Despite the violence, the match went ahead and ended with a 1-1 draw. The Egyptian Football Federation said it had reversed an earlier decision to allow fans to return to the stadiums by the start of the second half of the season. The original decision had been taken only a few days ago.
Despite the violence, the match went ahead and ended with a 1-1 draw. The Egyptian Football Federation said it had reversed an earlier decision to allow fans to return to the stadiums by the start of the second half of the season. The original decision had been taken only a few days ago.
No comments:
Post a Comment