Dozens injured in stand collapse at Cairo basketball game

Incident at Super Cup match possible caused by stampede

Basketball fans try to clear a podium that collapsed at the Hassan Mostafa Sports Hall in Cairo. AFP

At least 27 people were injured when part of the stands collapsed during a basketball game in Cairo on Saturday night, officials said.

They said the accident in the October 6 district, a western suburb of Egypt's capital, may have been caused by a stampede during the third quarter of the Super Cup match between Cairo’s Al Ahly and Al Ittihad of Alexandria.

The officials said there were no life-threatening injuries, with most of the 27 suffering broken bones.

The game was called off. Video clips posted online showed a metal part of the stands collapsing in the Hassan Mostafa Sports Hall.

The multi-purpose arena opened three years ago before the start of the 2021 World Men’s Handball Championship, which Egypt hosted.

A metal part of the stands falls on top people in the Hassan Moustafa Sports Hall in Cairo on December 24. AFP

It was the first serious sports incident involving fans in Egypt since 2015, when 22 football supporters died during a stampede sparked by the police's heavy use of tear gas at a stadium in a Cairo suburb.

A 2012 riot in the coastal city of Port Said caused more than 70 deaths in one of the world’s worst football-related incidents.