At least 9 dead in stampede at concert in Guatemala

At least nine people have died and some 20 were injured in a stampede in Guatemala early Thursday as the country celebrated its independence

At least nine people died and some 20 were injured in a stampede in Guatemala early Thursday as the country celebrated its independence, according to firefighters.

The victims apparently died in a crush of people who were trying to enter an outdoor music concert.

Amilcar Rivas, Quetzaltenango city manager, said that event organizers did not have a grip on security and crowd control. He said the event did have a permit.

Quetzaltenango, Guatemala’s second largest city, is about 125 miles (200 kms) west of Guatemala City.

Guatemala is celebrating Thursday 201 years of independence from Spain.