Egypt Soccer Stampede - Over 25 soccer fans were killed and many others were injured in Egypt following a face-off between police and supporters who tried to force their way into a stadium.
According to reports, the incident happened on Sunday just before a match between two Cairo clubs, Zamalek and Enppi.
Thousands of Zamalek supporters tried to enter the army-owned stadium at the start of the game around 6.p.m. There was chaos and a stampede ensued after security forces tried to disperse the crowd by setting up barricades and firing tear gas.
"Because of the stampede, some choked and died from asphyxiation while the rest died from being trampled," Al Ahram reports.
"Huge numbers of Zamalek club fans came to Air Defense Stadium to attend the match...and tried to storm the stadium gates by force, which prompted the troops to prevent them from continuing the assault," the Interior Ministry said in a statement.
Zamalek fans known as Ultras White Knights have had several spats with security forces in the past, especially since the Arab Spring, which they played a crucial role in.
The Ultras have accused the police of a massacre; saying their use of violence to dissipate the crowd led to the deaths and injuries.
"The police were in front and behind the gate," a witness said according to Al Jazeera. "They fired tear gas. Thus caused panic and people fell on top of each other. We started to leave quickly. There were old people in the crowd and they were crushed by other fans."
On their Facebook page, the Utras describe the fans who died in the stampede as "martyrs."
Meanwhile, the public prosecutor has ordered the arrest of Ultras leaders, as they begin investigation into the stadium stampede.
A statement from the Prime Minister's office has effectively declared the Egyptian Premier League indefinitely postponed.
This is not the first time Egypt has experienced a stadium disaster, in 2012 following a riot Port Said between opposing supporters, about 72 people lost their lives. This incident led authorities to drastically reduce the number of fans that can attend a match.
Despite the stampede and the deaths, the match was allowed to continue, it ended in a 1-1 draw.
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