Kenya football stampede kills seven

Seven people have been killed in a stampede at a football stadium in the Kenyan capital, Nairobi, officials say. reports BBC.

The crush happened as a crowd tried to enter Nyayo National Stadium to watch a match between two of Kenya’s most popular teams. Six people died at the stadium while another person died later in hospital, a Kenyan Red Cross official said. The Premier League match between Gor Mahia and AFC Leopards continued despite the deaths.

Jack Oguda, head of the Kenya Premier League, was reported as saying an inquiry would be launched to establish why fans could not access the stadium, which he said was not full.

The BBC’s Will Ross in Nairobi says that the game was stopped only for a few minutes after the stampede, and that most people inside the stadium were probably not aware of what was happening outside.

This same stadium was banned by world federation FIFA from hosting World Cup qualifying matches after a crowd stampede at a game against Morocco in June 2005 when a crowd forced down gates before the game, killing a 15-year-old supporter and injuring 15 other fans.

FIFA disciplinary committee ordered Kenya to play their next against Tunisia behind closed doors and imposed a fine of $19,000.