At least four dead and more injured after stampede at football match in Honduras
It happened after too many people entered the stadium as a result of fake tickets being produced
At least four people are believed to have died after a stampede at a football match in Honduras, with many more left injured.
The tragedy happened during the sold-out title play-off match between Motagua and Honduras Progreso in the Honduran capital of Tegucigalpa.
It was held in the national stadium which has a capacity of 35,000 people.
According Associated Press, the police statement reported that too many tickets had been sold for the game, resulting in fans getting trampled – however Motagua deny this.
They said they had warned the “responsible authorities immediately that fake tickets were being circulated” which then “enabled people to enter the stadium illegally to watch the final between Motagua and El Progreso - people who apparently occupied seats that were not theirs, forcing others to leave the area.”
However the game went ahead, with the home side winning the play-off for the title 3-0 on the day and 7-1 on aggregate.
In a statement, Motagua said: “Motagua expresses its deepest condolences to the family and friends of the four people who sadly died in the accident at the start of the final.
“It is important to bear in mind that all the ticket sales are supervised, and in this case approved, by the national commission for sports facilities (Conapid), which is an agency of the Honduras government.
“The club is helping in the investigation into what happened at the stadium, which was under police control - according to the rules - as always 48 hours before any sports event.”
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