Several people were killed and injured in a stampede at the entrance to a sports stadium in Algiers on Thursday night ahead of a ceremony by Algerian rapper Draghi Abdel Raouf, better known as "Solking".
"The concert-event of the singer Solcking ... in Algeria witnessed a terrible tragedy: five people - three boys and two girls - were killed and 21 injured," French news website Tout sur l'Algerie said, citing hospital sources. Others in the stampede ».
The website said the stampede occurred "in front of one of the entrances to the stadium."
For its part, the website of the private media group Al-Bilad spoke of "at least five deaths and injuries from the stampede at the Solkings ceremony," without elaborating. He explained that a representative of the prosecution went to the place and then to the hospital of Algiers, where the wounded were taken.
On social media, a number of people report, without citing sources or indicating whether they were at the scene, that the stampede occurred an hour before the ceremony, which then took place normally. They said the stadium was full while a number of people who bought cards were stuck outside.
Demonstrators often echo the song «Freedom», which was given by the Algerian rapper living in France to the demonstrators.
The song was released in March, less than a month after the start of large demonstrations on February 22 against President Abdelaziz Bouteflika, who has since resigned, and then against the regime.