Algeria probing deadly stampede at rap concert

Prosecutors have opened an investigation into the cause of a stampede ahead of a rapper’s concert at an Algiers sports stadium that left five youths dead, including a 13-year-old.

The prosecutor’s office in Sidi M’Hamed said in a statement on Friday that an inquiry to determine the circumstances of the drama the night before was being opened.

The TSA online news site said that a stampede erupted at the entrance to the stadium that killed five people aged 13 to 22. The concert by Algerian rapper Soolking had not yet started.

The site quoted civil defense spokesman Khaled Benkhelfallah as saying that 86 others were rescued. He said he knew nothing of the circumstances that led to the stampede.

AP