One Dead After Stampede at National Sports Stadium During Zimbabwe-DRC Match

By Moses Ndlovu
HARARE — One person has died following a stampede at the National Sports Stadium during Zimbabwe’s match against the Democratic Republic of Congo on Monday evening.

The incident occurred at Gate 2 at around 6:30pm, shortly after the match had started, according to the Zimbabwe Republic Police.

Police said the incident involved a public order vehicle and a pedestrian, with the circumstances surrounding the death now the subject of an investigation.

“The Zimbabwe Republic Police assures the public of objective and comprehensive investigations to find out exactly what transpired,” police said in a statement.

The identity of the deceased had not been released by police by the time of publication.

The fatal incident occurred as thousands of football supporters gathered at the stadium for the Zimbabwe-DRC encounter.

Police said Commissioner-General of Police had conveyed condolences to the family of the deceased and assured the public that investigations would be conducted to establish what happened.

“A detailed statement will be issued in due course,” the police said.

The circumstances leading to the stampede, including the events involving the public order vehicle and the pedestrian, remain unclear pending the outcome of the investigation.

Zimbabwe went on to lose the match 2-1 to the Democratic Republic of Congo.