- At least ten football fans were reported to have trampled to death after the jam-packed national stadium in the Liberian capital Monrovia collapsed and fell into the crow below.
The deaths were registered during the Group 6 Africa/World Cup qualifying match between Liberian and The Gambia at the weekend.
Liberian government is yet to react to the national tragedy.
Most people said the deaths occurred because the 33,000-seat Samuel K. Doe stadium contained more than its capacity. Thousands of football frenzy fans were believed to have entered the stadium using fake tickets. And in most cases, even the police could be seen selling tickets thus making it extremely difficult for football officials to distinguish real or fake tickets.
The United Nations peacekeepers tried to remedy the situation by closing the gates after sensing that the stadium was already beyond its normal capacity. But this could not prevent the deaths from happening.
According to eyewitnesses account, the incident was prompted by a push and pull by rowdy fans in the upper pavilion. In the process, a metal railing broke dropping on fans, including those on the ground level. During the ensuing frenzy, some fans were suffocated while others were trampled to death.
Spectators frantic efforts to save the fans proved futile, a Liberian Red Cross volunteer said.
The Liberia-Gambia match ended in a 1-1 all draw.
Death of football fans through either stampede or overcrowding has over the years claimed several lives in Africa, especially in Ghana and the Democratic Republic of Congo where hundreds of people died in stadium disasters.
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