At least nine people died and another 20 were injured early Thursday morning after a human stampede was recorded at the end of a concert for the national independence celebrations in western Guatemala , rescuers reported.
The incident occurred in a massive recital on the occasion of Independence Day, which began on Wednesday night, at a fairground in Quetzaltenango, a city located 300 kilometers west of the Guatemalan capital.
"The Guatemalan Red Cross together with the Volunteer Firefighters stabilized more than 20 injured people and nine died at the scene" after a "human stampede" in a "massive event" in the city of Quetzaltenango, about 200 km west of Ciudad from Guatemala , the relief entity said on Twitter.
According to local press reports, the victims were crushed to death at the time thousands of people tried to leave the area after a concert.
The mishap occurred on an open-air esplanade during the "Xelafer", a traditional event in Quetzaltenango for the national holidays.
Guatemala resumed the massive festivities to celebrate Independence Day that made it a free and independent country from Spain on September 15, 1821, after two years of the suspension of these massive events due to the covid-19 pandemic. .
