Zimbabwe sugar stampede kills two

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Two people have been crushed to death in Zimbabwe when desperate shoppers scrambled to buy sugar.

Pressure from the crowd, in Zimbabwe's second city Bulawayo, caused a pillar to fall on top of a security guard and a 15-year-old boy, killing them both.

The boy was taken to hospital with a broken arm and two broken legs, but doctors were unable to save his life.

Zimbabweans are struggling to find even the most basic goods, as an economic crisis pushes inflation above 4,500%.

The country's plight is on the agenda at a summit of southern African leaders meeting in the Zambian capital, Lusaka.

Zimbabwe's President Robert Mugabe is among the leaders in Lusaka.

'Sensed danger'

Zimbabwe's state-run newspaper, the Chronicle, reported that the 35-year-old security guard died at the scene of the stampede.

Eyewitness Enos Luphahla told the paper that the man was unlocking the gate to the shopping centre when people began to surge forward.

"When he saw the number of people pushing the gate he sensed danger and hid behind the pillar between the two gates.

"The pressure was however too much for the wall and it fell on him and he was trapped under the pillar."

The witness added that the wall also fell on the boy and injured several other people.

"Instead of rescuing those who had been trapped, people trampled on the pillar in a bid to be the first in the queue."