S. Leone stampede kills 1:

Africa

At least one person was killed and 20 injured Saturday in a stampede at Sierra Leone’s packed main stadium with tens of thousands gathered for the swearing in of the country’s new president Julius Maada Bio, police and the Red Cross said.

Thousands had patiently queued up since morning to enter the stadium but then Bio’s supporters tried to force their way through passages earmarked for cars of invited guests, sparking a police charge and a stampede.

“I can only confirm one dead but more people are injured,” a police official said, speaking at the ceremony which drew guests like former football legend and current Liberian President George Weah and the leaders of Senegal, Mali and Togo.

“The death figure may rise because we are still taking injured people from the stadium,” said Red Cross chief Unisa Carew.

An AFP correspondent said there was chaos at the stadium after the stampede but the ceremony went through nonetheless. (AFP)

Bio