Tanzanian police say 45 died in stampede at Magufuli tribute

Thousands of grieving citizens were trying to push their way into a stadium to pay tribute to the late president.

Tanzanian police say 45 people died during a stampede in Dar-es-Salaam on March 21 as mourners paid their last respects to the late President John Magufuli. The stampede took place when thousands of grieving citizens tried to push their way into a stadium in the city to bid farewell to their leader, whose sudden death after a mysterious absence was announced on March 17. “There were a lot of people who wanted to get in the stadium, and some were not patient. They tried to force their way in and that resulted in a stampede. Forty-five died in the accident,” Dar-es-Salaam regional police commander Lazaro Mambosasa told the AFP news agency on Tuesday.