1,000 Juve fans injured as firecracker is mistaken for bomb
MORE than 1,000 Juventus fans were injured while watching the Champions League final in Turin on Saturday night after firecrackers were mistaken for a bomb.
It came as around 30,000 fans watched their team take on Madrid on a large screen at Piazza San Carlo in the match at the National Stadium of Wales in Cardiff.
According to Reuters, as many as 1,400 were treated for their injuries, with five seriously hurt, which included a seven-year-old boy, who was trampled and has “head and chest injuries”.
It reportedly happened with 10 minutes to go in the second half of the match that saw Juve lost 4-1 to Real Madrid in Cardiff , which meant the Spanish side lifted the Champions League trophy.
Video cameras showed a rush in the centre of the crowd in Turin, the home city of the Italian side, before a violent surge flinging people against the barriers.
Panicked fans then reportedly fled the centre, screaming in fear, with bags, shoes and beer bottles left scattered on the ground.
The panic reportedly started after fans mistook a loud firecracker for a bomb, and yesterday morning, police were investigating exactly what set off the stampede.
And some of the injuries reportedly happened when a barrier around the entrance to a car park gave way.
It came hours before seven people were killed with dozens more injured in terrorist attacks on London Bridge and in Borough Market.
Speaking about the Turin incident, Associated Press reporter Brian Hendrie said: “I saw the entire piazza went in the direction next to the screen to escape, all in a panic.
“They ran, fell on the ground on the glass. I heard five or six different versions. It sparked a panic.”
Local official, Renato Saccone, the prefect of Turin, told the Guardian: “The root cause of this was panic, to understand what triggered it we will have to wait a while.”
Speaking after the match, Juventus coach, Massimiliano Allegri, said: “I’d just like to say that we feel for what happened to our fans in Turin.
“There was an incident there and we’re hoping not too many people were injured seriously and we are hoping that they get better very soon.”