A journalist who was at a rap concert in Algeria, where five people have died in a stampede, says there were huge crowds trying to get into the stadium.
Linda Chebbah told BBC Newsday there seemed to be an issue with security at the entrance to the venue, as there was security hired for the event and the police.
“There were way too many people for this stadium. On the pitch, people were jostling for space. There were so many people at the concert that I’m not surprised an accident happened,” she said.
Thousands of mainly young people had come to see rap star Abderraouf Derradji, who is known as “Soolking”.
Chebbah said that even though the musician no longer lived in Algeria he sang about what people were going through.
She said he had wanted to tell his fans that his heart was still in Algeria at a time when the country was going through political upheaval. Earlier this year long-time leader Abdelaziz Bouteflika, resigned as president after mass street protests.
Source: BBC
