As many as 25 people were killed Sunday night in Egypt when fans outside an overflowing soccer match clashed with police, reports said.
Most of the dead were suffocated when a crowd stampeded after police used tear gas to stop fans trying to force their way into a league match between two Cairo clubs, Zamalek and Enppi, Reuters reported. There were conflicting reports about the number killed at Air Defence Stadium east of Cairo.
The Associated Press, citing two unidentified security officials, put the toll at 25. The health ministry reported 19 were killed and 20 injured, Reuters said, while the prosecutor’s office put the number of dead at 22 and ordered an investigation. Soccer games are often a focus of violence in Egypt.
More than 70 people were killed at a 2012 soccer match, prompting the government to reduce the number of people allowed inside soccer stadiums. Police in Egypt have been under scrutiny following the shooting death of a female protester in Cairo.
Egypt’s state television said upcoming soccer matches were postponed until further notice. Security officials attributed the cause to fans trying to force their way into the match without tickets. Zamalek fans posted on Facebook that the violence started when authorities opened only one narrow, barbed-wire door to let them enter. They said officers fired tear gas and birdshot when fans pushed to get inside.
One witness told AP a stampede was touched off by police firing tear gas at the crowd. The witness spoke on condition of anonymity out of fear of being targeted by police, the news agency reported.
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