Ten people dead in New Year stampede

Ten people died in a stampede at a crowded township bar during New Year festivities in South Africa, police said Saturday, as reports suggested it happened when revellers rushed to avoid a fight. An inquiry has been launched into the cause of the tragedy at I pelegeng, about 125 miles west of Johannesburg in the North West province. “When police were sent to the scene, they found that there was a stampede at the tavern and that 10 people had passed away,” police spokeswoman Adele Myburgh told AFP.” The exact cause of the stampede at this stage will be determined by police investigation and we don’t give the particulars of the victims at this stage, because the families have not been informed and some have not been formally identified,” she said. Myburgh added that the large number of people present at the bar was one of the factors being examined by police.

The owner was arrested in the afternoon and charged with voluntary manslaughter,” she said. “He will see a judge on Monday. He is suspected of negligence.””Someone should be held accountable for the incident which robbed families and the community of valuable lives,” said Desbo Mohono, an elected official in charge of housing.