Two dead, dozens injured in stampede at Gulf Cup in Iraq

At least two people have been killed and dozens injured in a stampede at a stadium in Basra in southern Iraq ahead of the Arabian Gulf Cup final.

The Iraqi interior ministry told that two people had died and about 80 have been in injured in the stampede on Thursday.some of those injured were in critical condition, the official Iraqi News Agency quoted a medical source as saying.

Iraq are set to face Oman in the final of the eight-nation football tournament at 7pm (16:00 GMT) on Thursday.

Thousands of fans without tickets had gathered outside the stadium since dawn in hopes of watching the rare home international match. the turnstiles were still closed when the stampede broke out. Sirens blared as ambulances arrived to ferry the injured to hospital.

Iraq’s interior ministry in a statement urged people who don’t have tickets for the final to leave the area around the stadium. It said the stadium is full and all gates have been closed.

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