At least 60 people have been crushed to death and some 250 injured during new year festivities in Ivory Coast's main city Abidjan, rescue officials say.
The incident occurred in the early hours of Tuesday near a stadium in the central Plateau area of the city where a fireworks display was held.
The cause of the stampede is not yet clear. It occurred as people were heading home after the event.
The victims included many children, and the death toll is expected to rise.
The site – near Felix Houphouet Boigny Stadium – is littered with abandoned clothes and blood stains.
Relatives have gone there to get news of missing loved ones.
The distraught mother of a nine-year-old boy told local media: “I have just seen all those bodies, but I can't find my son.”
The 65,000-capacity Felix Houphouet Boigny Stadium was named after the founding president of Ivory Coast. The night before the tragedy, it hosted a concert by US performer Chris Brown.
Source: The Daily Star
