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Several Fans Killed In Stampede During Algerian Rap Concert
World
August 23, 2019
Olivia Perreault 0
Thousands of people gathered for a rap concert in Algeria last night, but when the crowd pushed through the entrance to the stadium, a handful of fans died in a stampede.
The concert took place Thursday night in the Algerian capital, Algiers. More than 30,000 people were in attendance to see rapper Soolking perform, but there were only four small entrances into the stadium, Algerian journalist Akram Kharief told AFP news agency. People reportedly caused a stampede to push inside, causing people to fall. During the chaos, 86 people were injured and treated on the spot, 40 people were taken to the hospital, and eight were in critical condition. According to AFP, two young girls aged 19 and 22, as well as three boys ages 13, 21, and 16, have died.
Despite the deaths, the concert still went on with a 30-minute delay and was broadcast on national TV, Aljazeera reports.
Stampedes are not new at concerts; the lack of security and adequate entrances at concerts is a constant problem in the industry. Late last year, during a concert in Italy, six people died from complications of a stampede. The crowd broke out into a panic when an irritant spray was released into the air, but when fans tried to flee the venue in a panic, a barrier broke and people began to fall on top of one another.
Artists like Gwen Stefani and Snoop Dogg have also faced separate lawsuits for inciting a stampede when they urged concertgoers to rush the stage, causing barriers to break.