The show was about to start; people believed that they could enter the stadium and began to push, but the police had closed the doors.
[2][3] The crush was the second that had happened at the same stadium in the past year, another occurring in September 2018 during a football game between Madagascar and Senegal, which killed one and injured around forty.
[7][8] Defense Minister General Richard Rakotonirina, however, said that it was unclear what had caused the crowd surge.
A military parade took place earlier in the stadium, and Rwandan Head of State Paul Kagame was invited as a guest of honor of President Andry Rajoelina.
President Rajoelina, his wife, and other government officials visited the injured at the hospital in the city to offer their condolences after the incident, and Rajoelina promised to pay for the hospitalization expenses.