Abidjan -
The Ivory Coast will put on trial those responsible for security and other flaws that led to the death of 63 people in a stampede on New Year's Eve, the country's public prosecutor said late on Saturday.
Prosecutor Koffi Kouadio Simplice told state television that an investigation had found that a road blocked by trees as well as the lack of lights and security personnel contributed to the accident.
The prosecutor's office will institute "criminal proceedings" against "those suspected of committing the crimes."
The stampede occurred in the cocoa-producing West African country's largest city Abidjan as hundreds of thousands of revellers were leaving a fireworks display.
According to the investigation, two streams of spectators going in opposite directions crossed paths, which led to panic. Many of the victims were children.
"Some people ran up against the tree trunks that where set on the road and fell down. They were trampled by others who tried to find a way out," said Simplice. - Sapa-dpa
IOLSA