Four people were killed in a tragic stampede outside a large political rally in Ivory Coast on Wednesday, authorities said.
The incident followed a rally by the ruling Rally Houphouetists for Democracy and Peace (RHDP) party at Ebimpe Stadium in Abidjan on Sunday. The gathering, which drew an estimated 60,000 supporters, hinted that President Alassane Ouattara would soon announce whether he would run for a fourth term in the upcoming October presidential elections.
The stampede reportedly broke out as participants were leaving the stadium. The head of the event’s organizing committee and Minister of Equipment and Road Maintenance Amede Koffi Kouakou expressed his sorrow for the loss, offering his “deepest condolences to all the victims” and wishing the injured a speedy recovery.
Minister of Labour and Social Protection Adama Kamara visited the injured at a hospital in Anyama, where the stadium is located, and expressed the government’s condolences: “Our thoughts are with the deceased victims.”
The government expressed its condolences to the affected families as investigations into the incident continue.