At least five people were killed when a stampede broke out at an overcrowded rap concert inside a stadium in the Algerian capital, which was still broadcast on live television despite the tragedy.
Thousands of fans were packed into the venue in Algiers Thursday night to watch local rap star, Abderraouf Derradji — better known as Soolking — when chaos broke out near one of the entrances, according to local media outlets.
Sources told Algerian news site TSA that three men and two women were killed in the stampede. Another 21 people were transported to the nearby Mastapha Teaching Hospitals for injuries sustained amid the mayhem.
Video shared on social media sees first responders carrying victims out of the concert venue on stretchers.
It’s unclear what exactly prompted the stampede to break out, though people did complain about a lack of security at the stadium. Concert-goers also said it was clear early on that too many tickets had been sold.
Photos snapped ahead of the event shows massive crowds of people gathering outside the stadium and attempting get inside.
A woman, who wished only to be identified as Chafia, said she was outside the venue when the stampede began.
“It was so packed, like there was hardly any space to move. Obviously it wasn’t the artist’s fault but he [performed] at a stadium where tourists like to visit and a lot guys with bad intentions,” she told Newsweek.
“There were people fainting, there was a girl who lost her younger sister because of how packed it was. There were a lack of ambulances, when people would faint it would be members of the public who would assist them. We were like ants, there was no way we could move.”
Linda Chebbah, a journalist who attended the concert, told BBC it was clear that the event was not being properly managed.
“There were so many concert-goers, way too many for the stadium. There was access to the pitch and to the benches. Nothing much happened on the benches, but on the pitch people were jostling for space. We had to move several times to avoid the crowds,” she said.
“As I’m a journalist, I was able to go backstage safety, but I couldn’t see the concert there, so I didn’t see the people who died. There were so many people at the concert that I am not surprised that an accident happened.”