One person died and eight others were injured in a stampede at Hashemite Square in central Amman on June 23. Fans had gathered in large numbers to watch Jordan’s World Cup match against Algeria on a big screen when the crush occurred early Tuesday morning [1, 2, 3, 4].
Emergency teams quickly transported nine injured people to hospital following heavy congestion and crowd movement at the venue. One of the injured later died, identified as a man in his 20s [1, 2, 3, 4]. The Jordan Public Security spokesperson said: "Nine people were injured in the stampede incident at Hashemite Square at dawn on Tuesday and were rushed to hospital" [3].
The match was Jordan’s first ever World Cup appearance. It took place at the Santa Clara stadium in the San Francisco Bay Area. Jordan lost 1-2 to Algeria [1, 2, 3, 4].
Across Amman, large crowds gathered to watch the match. The historic Roman Theatre outdoor venue was overcrowded with about 15,000 spectators, despite an official capacity of around 6,000, adding to the overall congestion in the capital [3].
Authorities have yet to release further details about measures to manage crowds at public viewing events. The focus remains on the victims of the stampede and investigations into the causes of the incident.
