Inadequate security cause of New Year tragedy in Abidjan

Inadequate presence of security agents, among others were the cause of the New Year Eve’s tragedy that resulted in 63 deaths, with 40 injured in the commercial city of Abidjan.

Ivorian public prosecutor Simplice Koffi Kouadio, revealed this while announcing the preliminary results of investigations into the tragedy on Saturday.

The chief prosecutor said construction work that blocked a part of the street and caused a bottleneck when crowds dispersed after the fireworks also contributed to the tragedy.

He said the prosecutor’s office would institute criminal proceedings against those suspected of committing the crimes.

At an extraordinary meeting of the Council of Ministers on Friday, the Ivorian government promised to ensure a fair and credible investigation into the tragedy.

It expressed the hope that the lessons learned would help prevent similar tragedies from happening again.

“Families of those who died would be given compensation, while those injured would be fully supported to speed up their recovery.” it said. (PANA/NAN)