A stampede at a shopping center in the Ugandan capital of Kampala on New Year’s Eve left at least nine people dead, the ChimpReports news outlet reported on Sunday, citing police.
The incident occurred at the Freedom City Mall at midnight local time (around 21:00 GMT on Saturday), when the host of the New Year’s event encouraged attendees to go outside and watch the fireworks display, according to the police.
“After the display ended, a stampede ensued, resulting in the instant deaths of five people and injuries to several others,” Deputy Kampala Metropolitan Police spokesperson Luke Owoyesigire said, as quoted by the news outlet.
The spokesperson noted that emergency services “transported the injured individuals to the hospital,” where the overall number of deaths in the incident was confirmed to be nine.
According to ChimpReports, there are several minors among the dead.
Police have launched an investigation into the case.
