Stampede kills 16, injures 120 at New Year’s Eve religious gathering in Angola

At least 16 people, including four children, have been killed and 120 others wounded in a stampede at a religious ceremony in the Angolan capital, official sources say.

According to local media, the incident occurred on New Year’s Eve, when tens of thousands of people gathered at a stadium for a religious festival in the southern African country’s capital city of Luanda.

Paulo Gaspar de Almeida, deputy commander-general of the Angolan police, also said that, “We confirm the death of 16 people, including four children, due to asphyxia, shoving and trampling of faithful at the entrance of Cidadela stadium.”

Ferner Batalha, a bishop of the Universal Church of the Kingdom of God, also said that, “We were expecting 70,000 people but far more turned up.”

The incident comes as West African country Ivory Coast, has begun three days of mourning after 61 people had been crushed to death and some 200 others hurt in the city of Abidjan in a similar stampede which followed a New Year’s Eve fireworks display.