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ANGOLA: 17 DEAD, SCORES INJURED
IN FOOTBALL STADIUMSTAMPEDE
About 17 people have died and several others injured
in an Angolan stadium when a stampede occurred during
a local football match.
Medical sources said supporters stormed the gates
of the stadium to watch a game between local teams
resulting in the accident. The incident occurred at the
January 4th stadium in the northern city of Uige.
There were 76 casualties of whom 17 died.
Africa has had its fair share of soccer disasters, one of
the most notable being in Ghana 16 years ago when 129
football fans died in what became known as the Accra
Sports Stadium disaster.
The deaths were caused by a stampede caused by
the firing of teargas by police personnel at the stadium,
following a controversial decision by the referee in a
game between the top local sides, Accra Hearts of Oak
and Kumasi Asante Kotoko.
SKYDIVER DIES INMID
AIR COLLISION
A Victorian skydiver died after a mid-jump collision
at the Australian Skydiving Championships in Western
Australia. Police named the man as 36-year-old Boguslaw
Andrzej Drazek.
Mr Drazek's parachute became entangled with
another before he collided with a fellow skydiver during a
formation jump with his Victorian team.
Paramedics were told he "hit the ground hard as his
parachute did not deploy correctly".
The accident happened during the second day of the
championships at York, about 100 kilometres north-east
of Perth.
Mr Drazek was described as an experienced jumper
who had performed more than 500 skydives.
The competition was temporarily suspended after
the accident, but the 200-plus competitors voted
unanimously on Thursday night to continue as a mark of
respect and a show of solidarity.
SKIER DIES AFTER LOSINGCONTROL
AND STRIKINGOBJECT
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police are investigating
the death of a 34 year old male skier who died at Lake
Louise Ski Resort in Alberta, Canada. Reports said that the
skier lost control and struck an “object” while descending
the lower section of the front side of the resort.
He was taken by ski patrol to the ski patrol shack
and resuscitation attempts were made. Lake Louise Ski
Resort reports, the victim was found in a treed area under
the Glacier Express Quad.
The National Ski Areas Association (NSAA) has
reported that on average about 42 people die a year from
ski accidents and 46 people are seriously injured.
GIRL DIES INAMUSEMENT
PARK ACCIDENT INCHINA
A teenage girl clung onto a rapidly spinning car for
five seconds before being thrown to her death. Footage
taken at the time shows her on a ride called “A Journey in
Space” where she falls out of her seat and dangles from
the ride. The restraints broke and despite hanging on for
five second the young girl was thrown from the ride.
The accident took place at Fengdu County in
southwest China.
The 14-year-old was pronounced dead at hospital
following failed resuscitation attempts, it has been
reported.
In 2010 Six people died in a failed simulated rocket
launch in Shenzhen, China. One of the cars on the
centrifuge ride became loose, lost power and the ride fell
to the ground in flames with 44 people inside.
Serious amusement park accidents are fairly rare, but
can involve a number of people when they occur. Some of
the worst accidents have been:
Eight teenagers were killed in a 1984 fire at the Six
Flags Great Adventure amusement park in New Jersey,
US.
Five children were killed when the Battersea Park Big
Dipper malfunctioned in the UK in 1972. Rope hauling
cars to the top of launch slope broke and a safety
mechanism failed, causing cars to roll into the boarding
area.
Four people died in 2016 when their raft on
the Thunder River Rapids ride in the Dreamworld
Amusement park in Queensland, Australia, collided with
another raft and flipped over.
Three died at the Galaxyland Amusement Park in
Alberta, Canada, in 1986. The last car of a four-car train
on the Mindbender triple loop ride came away from the
track, throwing off passengers before crashing into a
concrete pillar.
Sixteen people - including two teenage girls who
needed leg amputations - were injured at UK's Alton
Towers park in 2015. Staff failed to notice a stationary
car on the 14-loop Smiler ride and overrode the stop
mechanism, sending the next car into it.