Nine people have died in Ghana's second city, Kumasi, following a stampede at a party to mark the end of Ramadan, a local official has said.

The injured were taken to a nearby hospital and one person is in a critical condition, Joy FM reports.

There are conflicting reports of the cause of Wednesday night's stampede.

One eyewitness is quoted as saying that a power cut caused panic and the crush occurred as people rushed to leave the venue.

Another said that the lights went out at the end of the party but people were unable to get out because the doors to the community centre were locked.

The head of a Kumasi local government assembly, Nurudeen Hamidan, said the police are now trying to work out what happened, reports the AFP news agency.

BBC Ghana correspondent Thomas Naadi says that the chief imam in the area, Shiekh Abdul Moman, expressed concern that Muslims had not heeded calls to show restraint during the festivities.

Muslims celebrated Eid al-Fitr on Wednesday, marking the end of the month-long Ramadan fast.

Source:
courtesy of BBC NEWS

by BBC News

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