RABAT, May 24 – A stampede at a world music festival in Morocco on Saturday night left at least 11 people dead and 30 others injured, the authorities said.
Some 70,000 spectators were at the Hay Nahda stadium to see home favourite Abdelaziz Stati sing at a concert which was part of the Mawazine (Rhythms) festival — opened on May 15 by Australian pop icon Kylie Minogue.
Police said the stampede appeared to have been set off by the collapse of a wire fence when the crowd made a big surge. Five women, four men and two children were later found dead.
Rescuers rushed to the scene and helped to pull out survivors and transport the injured to hospital.
A source at the main Rabat hospital said most of the injured had left on Sunday morning but seven had been kept in.
The Mawazine festival was created in 2001 and is one of the most important cultural gatherings in Morocco. Some 1,700 foreign and local performers converged on Rabat for the 2009 edition which ended on Saturday night.
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