One person has been killed and dozens of others injured in a stampede that broke out outside a football stadium hours before the Gulf Cup final on Thursday in Iraq.
Thousands of fans without tickets reportedly gathered outside the stadium in Iraq’s main southern city of Basra since dawn in the hope of watching the rare home international match between Iraq and Oman, which was due to kick off at 7 pm (1600 GMT).
An interior ministry official confirmed that ”there has been one death and dozens of injuries.
“Many fans without tickets had gathered since first light to try to get in,” the official said.
The turnstiles were still shut when the stampede broke out, AFP reported.
The Gulf Cup is contested by Kuwait, Bahrain, Oman, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Yemen, the United Arab Emirates and Iraq.