By Alloycious David
Many people were on Monday caught up in a stampede at the main stadium near Monrovia, leaving many injured during the inauguration ceremony of President George Weah.
One report says at least 20 people sustained injuries, as thousands tried to make it into the already crowded Samuel Kanyon Doe Sport Complex, which was packed beyond its 35,000 capacity.
The injured persons, who were rushed to the nearby private ELWA Hospital near the stadium and the state-owned John F. Kennedy (JFK) Memorial Hospital in Monrovia’s Sinkor suburb.
Some are said to have been treated and discharged while others are still admitted in hospital.
Eyewitnesses said the victims were among hundreds of people who attempted forcing their way into the stadium..
According to our reporter, an iron gate toward the Chinese-run Golden Gate Hotel broke when the crowd tried forcing themselves into the parameter of the stadium.
Liberia’s Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Francis Kateh told state radio ELBC that some persons sustained serious wounds, including head trauma.
The gate fell on top of them. Some people fell to the ground and were walked on top by others.
A health worker stationed in a police ambulance said the situation was so bad and expressed fear that there might be death at the hospital because “two of those I referred to the JFK were critical.”
The health worker, who couldn’t confirm the total numbers of people admitted to hospital, disclosed that the police ambulance alone took more than 15 persons to the hospital.
According to him, some people were also taken to hospital in other ambulances belonging to the Red Cross and other institutions deployed at the stadium.
He explained that people who were taken to hospital in the police ambulance sustained wounds during the stampede at the stadium.
According to him, state security tries to prevent people who never had tickets from entering the stadium, which was already jammed pack to capacity when the stampede started.
He also disclosed that there were other cases where some people fainted due to heat or other problems including thirst and hunger, as people trooped to the stadium as early as 6:00 Am.
The stadium was so filled to capacity to the extent the many people who didn’t make to the stadium stood outside of the facility, which has the capacity to take 35, 000 people.