This article is from the source 'bbc' and was first published or seen on . It will not be checked again for changes.

You can find the current article at its original source at http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/-/1/hi/world/africa/7647511.stm

The article has changed 4 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.

Version 0 Version 1
Tanzania disco stampede kills 19 Tanzania disco stampede arrests
(about 6 hours later)
A stampede at a disco in central Tanzania has left at least 19 people dead, police have said. The managers of the hall in central Tanzania where a disco stampede killed at least 19 children aged under 13 have been arrested and questioned by police.
Reports say as many as 400 children were packed into the hall, twice the recommended number.
The event had been organised as part of the Eid al-Fitr festivities to mark the end of the Muslim month of Ramadan.
The regional police commander in Tabora town said the children began fainting because of lack of air.
Seventeen children, aged between five and 12, are still in hospital.
The president has extended his condolences to the families, and demanded that those responsible are brought to justice.
Cheap tickets
The stampede took place in the Tabora region, about 750km (470 miles) north-west of the commercial capital, Dar es Salaam.The stampede took place in the Tabora region, about 750km (470 miles) north-west of the commercial capital, Dar es Salaam.
The event had been organised as part of the Eid al-Fitr festivities that mark the end of the Muslim holy fasting month of Ramadan. "The children were trapped inside the hall, which has a capacity to accommodate maximum 200 people, but the number was more than the double inside at the time," Tabora regional police commander Daudi Siasi said, AP news agency reports.
Those who died were said to be aged between 12 and 17. The hall was said to be overcrowded after cheap tickets had gone on sale.
Tabora regional police commander Daudi Siasi told the Tanzania Broadcasting Corporation: "According to preliminary investigations, the 19 died of stampede and suffocation in the disco hall. Some of the victims are reported to be as young as five.
"The stampede was caused by a commotion in the disco." Tanzanian newspapers have described the tragedy as "the biggest in Tanzania's history" and "the worst-ever disaster during Eid al-Fitr".
Mr Siasi said several people were being treated for injuries in hospital.
A police investigation has been launched.