Demba Diop stadium crush

Demba Diop stadium crush
Date15 July 2017
LocationDemba Diop stadium, Dakar, Senegal
CauseViolence between rival supporters, wall collapse and stampede
Deaths8
Non-fatal injuries60

The Demba Diop stadium crush occurred on 15 June 2017 at the Demba Diop stadium in Dakar, Senegal.[1] During the extra time of the Senegalese football league final match, supporters from the Ouakam F.C. team threw projectiles at the supporters of the opposing team, Stade de Mbour, causing them to leave their seats en masse.[2][3] This fracas between the fans resulted in a wall collapsing and the police firing tear gas into the stands.[4][5] A stampede ensued, leaving eight dead and 60 injured.[6][7]

Matar Ba, the Senegalese sports minister, confirmed that one of the dead was a child and promised "strong measures" to ensure such incidents would not be repeated.[6] The campaigning for the Senegalese legislative elections, scheduled to happen on 30 July 2017, was temporally suspended in light of the incident.[3]

Senegal's president, Macky Sall, tweeted that those responsible for the incident would be sanctioned.[8]

Comparisons between the crush and the Hillsborough disaster in the United Kingdom have been drawn.[9][10]

  1. ^ "Senegal football stadium crush kills eight". BBC. Retrieved 16 July 2017.
  2. ^ "Eight killed in Senegal soccer stadium crush". South China Morning Post. Retrieved 16 July 2017.
  3. ^ a b "Eight dead in Senegal football stadium stampede". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 16 July 2017.
  4. ^ "Eight dead in Senegal football stadium crush". Daily Nation. Retrieved 16 July 2017.
  5. ^ "Eight dead in Senegal stadium crush". ENCA. Retrieved 16 July 2017.
  6. ^ a b "Eight dead after wall collapses at Senegal football stadium". Telegraph. Retrieved 16 July 2017.
  7. ^ "At least 8 killed in Senegal soccer stampede". CBC. Retrieved 16 July 2017.
  8. ^ "Eight die in Senegal football stadium chaos". CNN. Retrieved 16 July 2017.
  9. ^ Ross, Alex. "Demba Diop stadium disaster - a tragedy we must avoid". The Express and Star. Retrieved 7 August 2017.
  10. ^ Hann, Mark. "The Demba Diop stadium football crush: Is this Senegal's Hillsborough?". The Conversation. Retrieved 7 August 2017.