Four killed in stampede at Ivory Coast political gathering says official

Four people died in a stampede outside a large Ivory Coast ruling party rally at a stadium, a senior party official told reporters Wednesday. Approximately 60,000 people attended Sunday's rally of the Rally of Houphouetists for Democracy and Peace (RHDP), the party of President Alassane Ouattara, at Abidjan's Ebimpe stadium. The rally saw Ouattara announce he would make a decision "in the coming days" on whether to stand for a fourth term in October's presidential election. "It was as we were returning home, outside the stadium, that there was a stampede," said Amede Koffi Kouakou, chairman of the organising committee for last weekend's party congress.

Koffi Kouakou, also minister of equipment and road maintenance, offered "deepest condolences to all the victims" and wished "a speedy recovery to those injured" in the stampede. "Our thoughts go out to the deceased victims," added employment and social protection minister, Adama Kamara, who visited the injured in hospital in Anyama, where the stadium is located.