Four people lost their lives in a stampede that occurred outside a large rally for the ruling party of Ivory Coast at a stadium, a high-ranking party official informed reporters on Wednesday.
Around 60,000 attendees attended Sunday’s gathering of the Rally of Houphouetists for Democracy and Peace (RHDP), the political party led by President Alassane Ouattara, at Abidjan’s Ebimpe stadium.
During the rally, Ouattara stated he would reveal his decision “in the upcoming days” regarding his candidacy for a fourth term in the October 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, who also serves as the minister of equipment and road maintenance, extended his “deepest condolences to all those affected” and expressed hopes for “a swift recovery for the injured” in the stampede.
