A stampede in Turin left hundreds injured when loud bangs, reportedly mistaken for a bomb, caused panic in San Carlo Square where soccer fans gathered to watch the Champions League final between Juventus and Real Madrid in front of a giant screen.
Tensions flared during the second half of the match, which Juventus went on to lose 1-4. Video cameras captured a sudden rush in the middle of the crowd, triggering a surge that flung people against barriers, Reuters reports.
Scores of fans ran out of the center of the square, screaming in panic and fear for their lives.
A seven-year-old boy reportedly received serious injuries and was rushed to the hospital
Around 1,000 people were injured in the stampede, AFP reports, citing police.
According to La Republica, about 1,400 people were hurt, eight of which were seriously injured, one child among them.
According to a Reuters witness, the anxiety was caused by a loud firecracker that was mistaken for a bomb.
Chaos ensued around ten minutes before the end of the match, with several people shouting that a bomb had gone off, AFP reports.
Hundreds of shoes and bags were scattered on the ground as people ran out of the square searching for friends and relatives.
In May 1985, 39 people, mostly Italians, were killed and 600 injured when a wall collapsed on them before the European Cup final between Juventus and Liverpool in Heysel Stadium in Brussel, Belgium.
