Home / AFRICA / Stampede during New Year fireworks kills at least nine in Uganda

Stampede during New Year fireworks kills at least nine in Uganda

At least nine people, including a 10-year-old boy, have died as crowds rushing to see a New Year’s firework display got stuck in a narrow corridor in a shopping mall near Uganda’s capital, police said.

People started pushing through a passage in the Freedom City Mall in Kampala just after clocks struck midnight, the police said on Sunday.

“Very many people got stuck as they were entering in large numbers to see fireworks. In doing so, many people suffocated to death. So far nine people are confirmed dead,” the police statement said.

People had been celebrating the New Year at the mall which is on a highway linking Kampala to Entebbe International Airport.

“Emergency responders arrived on the scene and transported the injured individuals to the hospital, where nine were confirmed dead,” police spokesman Luke Owoyesigyire said.

Owoyesigyire added that “rash” acts and “negligence” had led to the tragedy.

The celebrations to welcome in 2023 were the first in the East African country since restrictions linked to the COVID-19 pandemic and security issues were lifted.

Source: aljazeera.com

About Elvis Anokye

Check Also

Guinea’s most wanted fugitive, a former high-ranking military officer who escaped from prison last November, has been extradited from Liberia along with his son, according to officials.

Liberia extradites Guinea’s fugitive involved in stadium massacre

Guinea’s most wanted fugitive, a former high-ranking military officer who escaped from prison last November, …

Travelers left stranded at Kenya’s major airport due to staff protest

Hundreds of travelers were left stranded at Nairobi’s Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) as airport …