Six trampled to death at Tunisia open air concert

TUNIS, May 1 (Reuters) Six people died and a dozen were injured in a stampede during an open air concert in Tunisia, state news agency Tunis Afrique Presse and witnesses reported today.

The concert last night at the Sidi Mansour theatre in a poor suburb of the port city of Sfax featured contestants in the Star Academy TV singing competition, which is highly popular among young people across the Arab world.

The stampede broke out when Tunisian singer Marwa began to sing her final song and a large group of enthusiastic teenagers surged forward, trampling people underfoot, witnesses said.

The concert host tried to calm the crowd but six people were killed in the crush.

Tunisia's health and interior ministers went to the scene of the accident and visited some of the dozen injured in hospital, the agency said.

REUTERS KD PM1515