This archive report was first published on 25 August 2019.
On August 22, 2019, a tragic stampede occurred at a concert in Algiers, Algeria, resulting in the deaths of five young music fans and injuring over 20 others.
The concert, featuring French-based rapper Soolking, was attended by thousands of fans who had gathered at the stadium to see the popular artist perform.
According to eyewitnesses, including journalist Linda Chebbah, the concert was poorly organized, with too many people packed into the stadium.
"There were way too many people for this stadium. On the pitch, people were jostling for space. There were so many people at the concert, that I'm not surprised an accident happened," Chebbah told BBC Newsday.
Following the stampede, Algeria's culture minister, Meriem Merdaci, resigned in the face of public outrage.
Additionally, the police chief, Abdelkader Kara Bouhadba, was sacked by Interim President Abdelkader Bensalah, and the head of the public body in charge of organizing concerts, Sami Benchik el Hocine, was also dismissed.
