Eleven people—two of which are police officers—died in a stampede at a jam-packed stadium concert in Kinshasa on Saturday, October 29, featuring Congolese singer Fally Ipupa.
The incident was confirmed on Sunday, October 30, by Congo’s interior minister, Daniel Aselo Okito, who blamed the event’s organizers, claiming that the Martyrs’ stadium concert in Kinshasa “went beyond 100% capacity.”
Despite having a capacity of 80,000, the stadium was congested, and some attendees ended up squeezing into the VIP and reserved areas, according to Reuters news agency reporters.
The minister, who sympathized with the victims’ families, told reporters that “Eleven people died, including two police” at the stadium.
Additionally, it was discovered that security personnel had earlier used tear gas in an effort to disperse the rowdy gatherings in the streets outside the stadium, where many people had gathered before the performance by Kinshasa-born Ipupa.
Ipupa claimed that he wasn’t made aware of the deaths until Sunday morning, when he awoke following his performance.
He told Reuters in an interview, “It pains me. I am from Kinshasa and of course, I share in the grief of the families.”
