Police in Uganda have arrested the high-profile events organiser behind a New Year concert that ended in a crush killing 10 people, mostly children. Abbey Musinguzi, also known as Abitex, is a much sought-after promoter.
The crush occurred as the crowd rushed to the venue’s parking lot to watch a fireworks display at midnight in the capital, Kampala. Only one of the four exits at the Freedom City mall was open at the time, police spokesman Fred Enanga said. “The revellers had one point of entry and exit. Therefore, several victims were trapped and trampled upon through the narrow passage which became a bottleneck for many, mostly juveniles,” he said.
He added they were investigating if “negligence” was to blame for the loss of life. An estimated 500 people were at the venue along the Kampala-Entebbe highway when the crush happened. The event organisers have not made any public comment.
A spokesman for the Kampala Metropolitan Police, Patrick Onyango, told the BBC on Sunday that seven children were among the dead. Police said on Monday that the investigations were ongoing and they are looking for other people who were involved in organising the event.
