NAIROBI, May 5 (Xinhua) -- Over 70 football fans were injured on Sunday, but there were no fatalities, after skirmishes broke out before a highly-charged Kenyan Premier League game between home side Shabana FC and domestic champions and record winners, Gor Mahia FC.
Violence broke out some two hours before kick-off at the 5,000-seater Gusii Stadium located in Kisii, a western Kenyan town, about 310 km from the Kenyan capital Nairobi.
Mayhem started when hundreds of vocal rival supporters started pelting each other with stones and other projectiles at the jam-packed venue that was already filled to over-capacity.
The clash sparked panic among the fans who scrambled for the exits, causing a stampede as police, including officers from the paramilitary General Service Unit (GSU), tried to quell the fighting.
Football Kenya Federation (FKF) released a statement on Sunday night, announcing there were no fatalities despite earlier media reports stating that at least one fan had succumbed to their injuries.
FKF said it had received confirmed reports from four hospitals in Kisii and the police, indicating that a total of 72 individuals were treated for injuries.
Police were eventually able to contain the disorder and ejected the troublesome fans before the match progressed as scheduled from 4 pm local time.
FKF is working closely with the relevant authorities to establish the circumstances that led to the unrest, warning that decisive disciplinary measures will be taken upon conclusion of ongoing investigations.
The Gusii Stadium stampede is the biggest football stadium mass casualty incident in Kenya since October 2010, when seven fans, including a young woman, perished in a highly-charged Nairobi derby between Gor and Leopards.
Following the deadly incident, Nairobi's Nyayo National Stadium was banned by the Confederation of African Football, and after a series of refurbishment and further suspensions, the venue was only cleared to host international matches this year. ■