In a tragic turn of events, eight people lost their lives in a stampede at the Afro-Music Channel festival!
Around eight people were killed at the recently concluded Afro-Music Channel Festival in Benguela, Angola last weekend. A spectator told reporters that the stampede began at the over-crowded arena where exit doors had been locked. Police entered the arena “looking for criminals” which caused the panic. The Benguelan police authorities have issued an official statement confirming the eight deaths. They will now start an inquiry into the deaths and find out the cause.
In another report an Angolan journalist who attended the festival told reporters that the death toll could end up being higher! She said, “There are more bodies in morgues in the city. The criminal investigation service told me that the death toll was 20.”
Overcrowding of arenas at music festivals has been one of the most problematic issues in the music festival circuit. Organizers often underestimate the crowd or the venue size, which leads to inevitable crowding which eventually leads to events like these. The rules shouldn’t be flouted so as to avoid incidents like these.
We hope something like this never happens!