Iraq updates: Deadly stampede breaks out at Basra stadium

Sources have reported that Oman’s football federation is working on returning Omani fans from Basra airport to Oman in order for Iraqi fans to have more access to attend the final match, Al Jazeera’s Ahmed Al-Jassim reported.

Al-Jassim also said that according to Iraq’s interior ministry, the situation is returning to a “normal status”.

Mohammed Shia al-Sudani, Iraq’s prime minister, has arrived in Basra and sung the praises of its residents for representing the country “in a way that befits its history and its status among nations”.

In a tweet, al-Sudani said: “Our people in Basra and in all the cities of Iraq, thanks to your kindness, generosity and patience, you have reflected the bright and spotless image of the pride of the Iraqis.”

“You have contributed over the past days to representing our dear country in the best way, in a way that befits its history and its status among nations,” he posted.

He called on citizens to “provide assistance and support” to authorities on the ground to “show the final of the 25th Gulf Cup in the most beautiful way”.

pic.twitter.com/ndYOdE8p17

— محمد شياع السوداني (@mohamedshia) January 19, 2023

Al Jazeera’s Mahmoud Abdelwahed says the death toll from the stampede has risen to four with at least 80 people injured.

“Some of them are in critical condition after the stampede,” he said, speaking from Basra.

The authorities here, in order to alleviate the anger of those fans who were turned back from the vicinity of the stadium, have set up large screens in fan zones in main squares in the city to give them an opportunity to watch the match outdoors,” Abdelwahed said.

Meanwhile, Iraq’s football association has announced that the main stadium has been filled to capacity. Authorities in front of the main gate at the stadium have asked all fans to leave the area.

Al Jazeera’s senior sport TV presenter Moez Boulahia, reporting from Basra, says security forces are now in control of the situation at the Palm Trunk Stadium.

Public venues, especially the Shatt al-Arab corniche area, were filling up as large screens were being installed in designated fan zones.

The Iraqi football federation says the final between Iraq and Oman due to kick off at 7pm (16:00 GMT) will go ahead as planned.

Basra’s governor confirmed that the match will be held in the city and not be transferred to another country as had been speculated.

Al Jazeera’s Ahmed Al-Jasim said fans were starting to pour into the Shatt al-Arab corniche and other areas designated by security forces as fan zones to watch the game.

The official Iraqi News Agency (INA) has quoted a medical source as saying some of those injured in the stampede were in critical condition.

INA put the number at 60. The Iraqi Football Association told Al Jazeera 20 people suffered suffocation and another 80 were injured.

Roads leading to Basra International Stadium have been closed to avoid heavy traffic in the area as large numbers of fans remain at the facility ahead of the match between Iraq and Oman.

Al Jazeera’s Ahmed Al-Jasim, reporting from Basra, said the Shatt al-Arab corniche, which is 15km (9 miles) from the stadium, was still open, but security forces were planning on making the area pedestrian only.

Meanwhile, volunteers are installing large screens to allow fans to watch the game in public spaces. Al-Jasim said the Iraqi Security Media Cell reported no updates on talks of the final potentially being moved to another country.

Seventeen-year-old Sajjad Ahmed says she regrets travelling to Basra from the southern Iraqi city of Diwaniyah to go to the stadium with a friend.

“If I had known that this would happen, I would not have come,” she said.

When she reached the stadium at 8am (05:00 GMT), the situation was already tense. The gates were closed about 12:30pm, preventing more fans from pouring in as the facility reached capacity.

The tournament started on January 6 with teams from Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Yemen and Iraq.

It is the first time since 1979 that Iraq has hosted the tournament.

The Iraqi Ministry of Sports is calling on fans to retreat from the area around Basra International Stadium because the large crowds may make holding the final impossible, Al Jazeera’s Arabic service reports.

Football fan Moumen Adnan has been lightly injured as he fled the scene of the stampede at Basra’s stadium. “I did not expect such chaos to happen. Because of the stampede, I fell and injured my hand,” he said.

Adnan had been unable to reach the main gate because of large crowds. After the stampede broke out and confusion quickly ensued, he was able to push through a gate reserved for the media.

“I don’t expect the final to take place under these difficult circumstances,” he said.

The director of media and public relations at the Ministry of Interior has said in a statement that fans should not go to Basra’s stadium unless they have tickets for the match.

“The numbers of fans are very large, and we do not want there to be cases of suffocation, and the pressure will be doubled on the security forces,” the Iraqi News Agency (INA) quoted Major General Saad Maan as saying.

Maan called on the fans to “commit to the regulations and instructions issued by the security forces” and said it was possible to watch the match in public spaces.

“Joy cannot be complete, and there can be no winning except with the safety of citizens,” he added.

All gates to Basra’s Palm Trunk Stadium have been closed as it reached capacity, Al Jazeera’s Samer Youssef has reported.

According to Iraqi media, interior ministry officials are holding a meeting to discuss the way forward. Deferring the match is on the table but it will be done as the last resort.

Sources have told Al Jazeera that the Al Minaa Stadium in Basra could be opened and large screens installed to allow fans to watch the final of the Arabian Gulf Cup.

The Palm Trunk Stadium has a capacity of 65,000. Tens of thousands of fans have travelled to Basra from across the Gulf to watch the final between Iraq and Oman.

Journalist Ismael Adnan, reporting from outside Basra International Stadium, described the situation as “very chaotic”.

Al Jazeera’s Samer Yousef said videos from inside showed the stadium at capacity, with security personnel asking the crowd to retreat.

He said it remained unclear if the final would go ahead.

At least two people have reportedly been killed and dozens injured in a stampede near a stadium in Iraq ahead of the Gulf Cup final ⤵️ pic.twitter.com/prPyJ4xKbp

— Al Jazeera English (@AJEnglish) January 19, 2023

The final between Iraq and Oman is likely to be postponed if the casualties at Basra’s stadium are confirmed, Al Jazeera’s Samer Youssef has reported.

Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani is holding urgent meetings in the southern city before the game. According to government sources, the match may be postponed or transferred to another neutral country if casualties are confirmed.

Youssef said the interior ministry had issued warnings in the run-up to the game, calling on non-ticket holders to avoid heading to the stadium.

Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani has arrived in Basra for an urgent meeting with officials.

The governor of the region and government ministers are reported to be in attendance.

Al Jazeera’s Mahmoud Abdelwahed, reporting from Basra, says the Iraqi interior ministry has confirmed two deaths and about 80 injuries after a stampede at Basra International Stadium, also known as Palm Trunk Stadium.

According to the Iraqi Football Federation, about 90 percent of the tickets were already sold ahead of the kickoff. “That has made many Iraq football fans mad, especially those who had come from other provinces,” Abdelwahed said.

Fans poured in from across the Gulf to attend the final match between Iraq and Oman, putting Basra’s strained infrastructure under further pressure.

Decades of sanctions and political instability had prevented Iraq from hosting any sport activities. “Authorities say we are lucky to host such a special event, but the city is not as prepared as it should be,” Abdelwahed said.