At least 24 reported killed in Guinea beach concert stampede

[July 30, 2014]  CONAKRY (Reuters) - At least 24 people were killed in a stampede at a beachside concert celebrating the end of Ramadan in Guinea's capital, news agency AFP said, with Guinea's Presidency declaring a week of mourning after what it described as a "tragic drama".

A statement from the Presidency said the incident occurred at a beach in the Ratoma neighborhood of the capital, Conakry. It noted some deaths and injuries but did not give a death toll.

"While waiting for the results of an investigation, information from health and security authorities indicate deaths and several injuries," the Presidency said late on Tuesday.

AFP quoted Guinean hospital officials on the number of people killed.

The stampede, which occurred during celebrations to mark the end of the holy fasting month of Ramadan in mainly Muslim Guinea, comes at a time when health workers are already stretched by an outbreak of Ebola.

The deadly tropical virus was first detected in the poor, mineral-rich West African country in February and has since spread to Liberia and Sierra Leone, killing more than 670 people, according to the World Health Organization.

(Reporting by Saliou Samb; Writing by Emma Farge; Editing by Paul Tait)

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