Officials in the Egyptian capital Cairo are blaming the incident on a crowd stampede
At least 27 spectators suffered injuries after the stand partially collapsed during a basketball game at an arena in the Egyptian capital Cairo on Saturday, the country’s health ministry has said.
The incident at the Hassan Moustafa Sports Hall in the city’s 6th of October district has left 27 people wounded, according to the ministry.
The victims were hospitalized with non-life-threatening injuries, including fractures and bleeding, it added.
A section of the seats crashed on the spectators during a Super Cup game between Cairo’s Al-Ahly and Ittihad of Alexandria.
The match was abandoned after the collapse, while some of the athletes and others rushed to help the fans, according to local media. More than 20 ambulances arrived at the site to evacuate the wounded.
In a TV interview, the Egyptian Sports Ministry’s spokesman Mohamed Fawzi blamed the collapse of the stands on an alleged stampede by visiting supporters of Ittihad.
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Hassan Moustafa is a relatively new arena. It was built three years ago for the 2021 World Men’s Handball Championship, which Egypt hosted.
