Two dead, dozens injured in stampede at Gulf Cup in Iraq’s Basra

At least two people have been killed and dozens injured in a stampede at a stadium in Basra, southern Iraq, ahead of the Arabian Gulf Cup final.

The Iraqi interior ministry told Al Jazeera that two people had died and about 80 have been injured in the stampede on January 19, Al Jazeera reports.

Some of those injured were in critical condition, the official Iraqi News Agency quoted a medical source as saying.

Hosts Iraq are set to face Oman in the final of the eight-nation Arabian Gulf Cup at 7 pm (16:00 GMT) on January 19

Thousands of fans without tickets had gathered outside the stadium since dawn in the hope of watching the rare home international match.

An AFP photographer inside the stadium said the turnstiles were still closed when the stampede broke out. Sirens blared as ambulances arrived to ferry the injured to the hospital.

Images posted on social media showed a sea of people outside the stadium.