Sunday, June 6, 2010

Sixteen people, including two policemen, have been injured after a crush outside a South African ground hosting a World Cup warm-up game

Several fans fell under a rush of people outside the Makhulong Stadium in the Johannesburg suburb of Tembisa. Entry to the friendly between Nigeria and North Korea was free, and many more than the 10,000 capacity turned up. The first crowd surge came when the stadium gates were opened to allow fans entry. Police soon closed the gates, but when they were re-opened, a second rush occurred, with more people falling over. One policeman was seriously hurt after reportedly being crushed against a gate. He remains in a stable condition, according to the South African Police Services. The crowd was mainly made up of local South African and travelling Nigerian fans. Police said that hundreds of them were also holding photocopies of tickets and tried to break down the gates after the match had started and police had closed them.

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