At least nine people were killed when crowds rushing to see a New Year’s Eve fireworks display became trapped in a narrow corridor in a shopping mall near Uganda’s capital.
According to the Ugandan police on Sunday, people started pushing through a passage in the Freedom City Mall in Kampala just after clocks struck midnight.
“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 were celebrating the New Year at the mall, which is located on a highway that connects 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.
Source: Aljazeera news
