Seven children among 13 killed in Madagascar stadium crush

At least 13 people, including seven children, were killed Friday in a crowd stampede at a stadium in the Madagascar capital of Antananarivo. The stampede occurred at the entrance to the Barea stadium where a crowd of around 50,000 spectators had arrived to attend the opening ceremony of the Indian Ocean Island Games. 

The cause of the tragedy was not immediately known but the country’s Red Cross said the toll could climb. Madagascar President Andry Rajoelina, who was present at the opening ceremony, called for a minute's silence. The Barea stadium, the largest on the island of around 28 million inhabitants, suffered a similar disaster in 2019.