S Korea concert stampede kills 11

Police are investigating how the tragedy happened

At least 11 people died and dozens were injured in a stampede in South Korea, when crowds tried to enter a concert venue in the city of Sangju.

According to local media, more than 5,000 people were trying to get in through a single gate.

Some of those at the front of the crowd fell and were crushed by those behind them, eyewitnesses said.

Three of the dead were young boys, while the other victims were mostly elderly women.

The concert was cancelled as a result of the stampede.

Surging forward

The incident happened at about 1740 local time (0840GMT) on Monday, as tens of thousands of people were trying to enter the outdoor sports stadium being used to hold the concert.

One eyewitness said the crowd had been waiting for two hours and was becoming visibly impatient when one of the gates opened.

Shing Dong-won told YTN TV that when it opened "the crowd surged with a roar."

Another person at the scene, Kang Mi-kyung, told Yonhap news agency: "When pushed from behind, the elderly people in the first row fell, leading to a chain reaction of falling and being crushed."

The injured were taken to a nearby hospital where they were being treated for broken bones and head injuries.

The concert, on a public holiday, was taking place at the end of a three-day festival organised by the city authorities.

It was due to feature Korean songs popular among older audiences, as part of a weekly show televised by the local MBC network.

MBC issued a statement expressing its condolences to the victims, and promising to investigate the accident.