11 Perish in DR Congo Music Concert Stampede

The interior minister of the Democratic Republic of the Congo stated on Sunday that a stampede during a packed concert by African music icon Fally Ipupa at the largest stadium in the country’s capital left nine spectators and two police officers dead and blamed the organizers.

Interior Minister Daniel Aselo Okito told the news website Actualite.cd that on Saturday night, too many people had been let into Kinshasa’s Martyrs’ Stadium, which can hold 80,000 people.

The minister sent condolences to the victims’ families and stated to reporters at the stadium, “Eleven persons killed… including two police.”

He lamented the regular “loss of human life and equipment damage” at stadium events.

The organizers “went above and beyond 100% capacity… The minister opined that they needed to be punished.

According to a policeman on the site who spoke to the official Congolese Press Agency ACP, “It was a stampede” that resulted in the deaths.

The music enthusiasts died.

General Sylvain Sasongo, the head of the Kinshasa police, had previously informed ACP that nine people had perished, amid allegations that the stadium was packed to capacity for the performance of the hometown favorite. One witness claimed that “even the halls” of the stadium were overflowing.

The stage, the VIP stand, and the pitch were all cordoned off by police, according to ACP, which had reporters monitoring the concert inside the stadium.

The police could not withstand the crowd’s pressure for very long, according to ACP.

Fally Ipupa said on his Facebook page that he was appalled to learn what had transpired.

Despite all the precautions made to adhere to security regulations strictly, terrible and dramatic circumstances ruined the concert’s conclusion.

The evidence we have suggests that the victims were dragged to their deaths after scuffles at the stadium’s entrance and exit.

“I am incredibly startled, and I send my deepest sympathies to all the affected families.

May God, in his great mercy, heal their hurting hearts.

According to ACP, the singer-songwriter came several hours after the performance was slated to begin, “like other Congolese singers.”

One of Africa’s top performers, the 44-year-old Kinshasa native blends traditional African harmonies with modern musical genres, and his CDs have achieved international success.

The tragedy occurred shortly after a stampede at a Halloween celebration in Seoul, South Korea, claimed the lives of more than 150 people.