Seven children and one adult were killed in a stampede in Malawi during independence day celebrations.

The stampede occurred as thousands of people rushed to attend a soccer match between two local teams at Bingu National Stadium in Lilongwe.  

The match went on to be played in a packed stadium, but President Peter Mutharika did not attend as planned, instead going to the hospital to visit with more than 40 people injured in the stampede.

“My government will do all it can to assist the bereaved families,” he said at an independence day prayer meeting.  “We are mourning with you.”

Malawi, then known as Nyasaland, gained independence from British rule in 1964. 
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