Ethiopia Stampede Kills at Least 100 as Oromo Protest Dispersed
- Security forces use tear gas, rubber bullets to control crowd
- Doctor says none of the bodies had signs of bullet wounds
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A protest in Ethiopia turned into a stampede that left at least 100 people drowned or crushed to death as police dispersed a crowd at an annual cultural festival of the Oromo people, the nation’s largest ethnic group, a doctor from Bishoftu Hospital said.
Oromia Region security forces used tear gas and rubber bullets to stop protesters who were chanting anti-government slogans and throwing projectiles at a stage where leaders were trying to speak. Most of the deaths occurred as people fell into ditches while fleeing armored vehicles and special forces on pick-up trucks that were sent to disperse the crowd.