Sixty killed and 200 injured in a stampede near a stadium in Abidjan

A stampede near a stadium in the economic capital of Ivory Coast, Abidjan , has claimed the lives of 60 people and left over 200 injured, as reported by the emergency services to the Ivorian official radio. "There have been about 60 killed and 200 wounded, is a provisional balance , "said a member of the rescue team told Reuters. The avalanche occurred near a stadium in the central Plateau district, where he had concentrated a large audience attending a fireworks display to welcome the New Year, he told public television responsible for firefighters, Issa Sako, reports France Presse. The wounded have been evacuated to various hospitals in Abidjan and among them are many children. Before the gate of the stadium created a stampede among the "flow of people" who had come to watch the fireworks display, Sako said, adding that during the incident, " many people were trampled and crushed by the crowd." Images broadcast on public broadcaster RTI this Jan. 1 showed the dead bodies on the floor, with clothes and shoes scattered on the scene.

Symbol of a country reborn

On Tuesday, police and military Ivorians have taken up positions around the stadium and 'blue helmets' members of the UN mission in Ivory Coast. For the second consecutive year, the city of Abidjan had offered a fireworks show to kick off the new year. This festival is presented as asymbol of the rebirth of the country conducted by the president, Alassane Ouattara, after the post-election crisis of 2011, which killed 3,000 people.