LUANDA: Five fans – including two children – were killed and seven were hurt in a crowd crush in Luanda after Saturday’s African Champions League tie between Primeiro de Agosto and TP Mazembe.

A statement from the Angolan Ministry of Youth and Sports said confusion had arisen because of the haste of fans to leave the Estádio 11 de Novembro, 

It said the dead included two children aged 10 and 12 and three of the dead belonged to the same family. An investigation has been opened into the second fatal incident in African football in just over a week.

On September 9 one man died and 40 were injured in a crowd stampede before an African Nations Cup qualifier between Madagascar and Senegal in the Stade Municipal de Mahamasina in Antananarivo.

The worst loss of life in Africa was at the Accra Sports Stadium in Ghana when 127 fans died in 2001 after police fired teargas into the stands after a league match between Hearts of Oak and Asante Kotoko.

In 2012, at ledast 74 people were killed in Port Said after an Egyptian league match between Al Masry and  Al Ahly. Fans of Al Ahly blamed deliberate action by security services.

Last year, eight fans died in a stampede at a game in Malawi, while the same number were killed in a cup final in Senegal.

In July last year two fans were killed in South Africa during a crush at an entrance gate for a pre-season friendly between Soweto sides Kaizer Chiefs and Orlando Pirates at Soccer City, the venue for the 2010 World Cup final.

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