By mistake, a “stray” missile penetrates a football field in an African country
One person was killed and 11 others were injured after a soldier accidentally fired a rocket-propelled grenade at a stadium in Goma in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, the army said on Thursday.
Army spokesman Guillaume Ngike said a Congolese soldier “unintentionally” launched an RPG that landed at the “Stade du Volcan” stadium in Goma.
In a statement, he pointed out that 12 people were injured, one of whom later died from his wounds.
Ngike explained that the soldier was inside a vehicle that collided with a mound on the road near the stadium, leading to the firing of the missile.
Prince Mumbere, a resident of Goma who was present near the stadium at the time of the incident, said he saw injured football players leaving the field.
Images posted on social media, but not verified for accuracy, showed several injured football players, as well as a young man covered in blood being evacuated from the field on foot or on motorcycles.
“Stade du Volcan” is located about 30 kilometers from the front lines separating Congolese forces from the M23 rebels, who have controlled vast areas of land in the North Kivu province since they resumed armed activities in late 2021.
Dozens of armed groups are active in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, as a result of conflicts that occurred in the 1990s and early 21st century.
