Basra, January 10 (BNA): A stampede near the stadium in which Iraq and the Sultanate of Oman are expected to play in the Arabian Gulf Cup final killed one person and injured at least 60 others.
Thousands of fans gathered in and around the stadium hours before kick-off to watch the game.
The Iraqi Minister of Interior, Abdul Amir Al-Shammari, announced the closure of the gates of the Basra International Stadium, after it was filled with fans.
Al-Shammar said, in a statement to the Iraqi News Agency (INA), that “the gates of the Basra International Stadium were closed after they were filled with fans, and no one will be allowed to enter after the stadium gates are closed.”
The director of information and public relations in the ministry, Major General Saad Maan, said earlier that “citizens in Basra should not go to the stadium unless they have tickets for the match.”
“The numbers of fans are very large, and we do not want there to be cases of suffocation, and the pressure will double on the security forces,” he said.
He called on the fans to “comply with the regulations and instructions issued by the security forces, and the match can be watched in public places.”
“Joy and victory are not complete without the safety of citizens,” he said, expressing his hope for “compliance with all directives issued by the security services.”