Hillsborough families express sorrow

The Hillsborough tragedy claimed 96 lives

Relatives of soccer fans killed in the 1989 Hillsborough disaster are offering condolences to the families of people crushed to death in the South African soccer tragedy.

At least 43 fans, two of them children, were killed on Wednesday after a stampede at a reportedly overcrowded stadium in Johannesburg.

There were 96 fatalities at the Hillsborough FA Cup semi-final, two of them the teenage daughters of Trevor Hicks, who said he was "angry that something so terrible could happen again".

"It is so reminiscent of Hillsborough it is untrue. We had always feared this and said it would happen again one day.

Trevor Hicks
relatives' spokesman

Mr Hicks, chairman of the Hillsborough Family Support Group, said the stampede in South Africa was a warning that there should be "no tinkering around" with all-seater stadiums in the UK.

"The government should come out with an unequivocal promise that there will never be a winding back of safety standards, including the return of terraces," he said.

Reports suggest that as well as at least 43 people dying in the Johannesburg stadium, a further 89 fans were injured - nine critically - as chaos erupted at a derby match between the Kaiser Chiefs and Orlando Pirates at Ellis Park Stadium.

Hillsborough relatives plan to send a message of condolence to the families of "those who have died and those who do not know if their loved ones are coming home," Mr Hicks confirmed.

Medics attend to the Johannesburg injured

"It is so reminiscent of Hillsborough it is untrue. We had always feared this and said it would happen again one day."

Hillsborough was a case of overcrowding in the central standing area allocated to Liverpool fans at the FA Cup semi-final match against Nottingham Forest.

The Johannesburg tragedy comes just a few days before Hillsborough relatives mark the 12th anniversary of those 1989 deaths with a service at the Anfield home of Liverpool Football Club on Sunday.