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

UNA DEA CONFUSE GOD Another Bombshell from JAKEY JAKE

  Una Dea Confuse God is another bombshell drop from the God Star Entertainment Star …

Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu Hassan issued a strong warning to foreign diplomats on Tuesday, cautioning them against “interfering” in the country’s internal matters.

Stay away! Tanzanian president Samia warns foreign envoys on abductions

Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu Hassan issued a strong warning to foreign diplomats on Tuesday, cautioning …