1 500 injured after Turin bomb scare
MORE than 1 500 people were injured, three seriously, after a bomb scare triggered a stampede among Juventus fans watching the Champions League final in Turin, local authorities said yesterday.
In an update on Saturday's dramatic events in a square packed with supporters watching the Cardiff match on a giant screen, the local prefecture said 1 527 had been treated for mainly minor injuries.
Three people were in a serious but not life-threatening condition, including a young boy.
Local media described him as a seven-year-old and said he was in a coma with serious chest injuries after being trampled in the crush.
Reporters who witnessed the scenes said the panic seemed to have been triggered by fireworks, followed by one or more people shouting that a bomb had exploded -- a notion that quickly filtered through the crowd.
The incident compounded a miserable night for fans of Turin-based Juventus, who lost the final 4-1 to Real Madrid.
It also underlined the impact recent acts of terror are having on a jittery public across Europe.
“This is a city that lives with anxiety and panic is something that is very difficult to control,” Turin Prefect Renato Saccone said.
The scare in Turin came just minutes before another deadly attack unfolded in London with assailants driving a van into pedestrians on London Bridge and then going on a stabbing spree before being shot dead by police.