July 7 – Eight people have died, seven of them children, in a Malawi stampede on independence day ahead of a match between two local teams.
Dozens more were injured at Bingu National Stadium in Lilongwe, apparently after police used tear gas to disperse a crowd pushing into the stadium during commemorations of independence from Britain in 1964.
Those who died in the crush included children between five and 12 years old, according to local reports, as thousands rushed for seats ahead of a friendly between Nyasa Big Bullets and Silver Strikers.
Despite the incident the game went ahead though Malawi President Peter Mutharika did not attend as planned.
According to the BBC, there was a delay of about three hours in opening the gates. Thousands had already turned up and as they tried to force their way in, police fired tear gas. Activists and human rights groups immediately condemned the incident, saying the stampede could have been avoided with better planning.
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