22 killed as soccer fans clash with cops in Egypt
10 Feb 2015 12:33 AM GMT
The ministry of interior said the incident took place outside the Air Defence stadium ahead of a match between Egyptian Premier League clubs Zamalek and ENPPI.
The clashes started when police used tear gas to disperse members of the Ultras White Knights fan group in front of the stadium, a few hours before Zamalek played ENPPI in a top-of-the-table clash. The reports said supporters of Zamalek, known as Ultras White Knights, tried to storm into the match without tickets. Most of the dead were suffocated to death after police used tear gas to disperse the crowd, doctors and witnesses said.
“They died of suffocation and stampede after being tear-gassed,” a medical source at the Ahli Bank Hospital, which received 14 bodies, told Ahram Online. Egypt’s cabinet suspended the league competition for an indefinite period following the latest tragedy, saying in a statement that Zamalek’s fans failed to adhere to the safety procedures required to enter the stadium, it said.
“More than 1000 people, who did not have tickets for the match, tried to break into the stadium. A number of them were killed and dozens injured due to stampede,” the ministry said in statement. security forces tried to disperse the fans after they blocked road and torched a police vehicle. A source said 17 Zamalek fans were arrested for inciting violence.
Egypt’s prosecution said the bodies of the victims were transferred to a Cairo morgue. State-run news agency MENA said at least 25 were injured.
The match went ahead despite the deadly clashes but Zamalek’s full-back Omar Gaber, a favourite figure among the ultras, withdrew in support of the fans. Later on Monday, the authorities suspended all national football league matches indefinitely.
The clashes started when police used tear gas to disperse members of the Ultras White Knights fan group in front of the stadium, a few hours before Zamalek played ENPPI in a top-of-the-table clash. The reports said supporters of Zamalek, known as Ultras White Knights, tried to storm into the match without tickets. Most of the dead were suffocated to death after police used tear gas to disperse the crowd, doctors and witnesses said.
“They died of suffocation and stampede after being tear-gassed,” a medical source at the Ahli Bank Hospital, which received 14 bodies, told Ahram Online. Egypt’s cabinet suspended the league competition for an indefinite period following the latest tragedy, saying in a statement that Zamalek’s fans failed to adhere to the safety procedures required to enter the stadium, it said.
“More than 1000 people, who did not have tickets for the match, tried to break into the stadium. A number of them were killed and dozens injured due to stampede,” the ministry said in statement. security forces tried to disperse the fans after they blocked road and torched a police vehicle. A source said 17 Zamalek fans were arrested for inciting violence.
Egypt’s prosecution said the bodies of the victims were transferred to a Cairo morgue. State-run news agency MENA said at least 25 were injured.
The match went ahead despite the deadly clashes but Zamalek’s full-back Omar Gaber, a favourite figure among the ultras, withdrew in support of the fans. Later on Monday, the authorities suspended all national football league matches indefinitely.
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