At least 1,000 people were injured, of which seven are critical, after a bomb scare triggered a stampede among Juventus fans watching the Champions League final in Turin in Italy, local authorities said on Sunday.
AFP reporters witnessed the chaotic scenes that ensued in a packed square 10 minutes before the end of the match on Saturday evening.
The panic seemed to have been triggered by fireworks being let off and one or more people shouting that a bomb had exploded – a notion that quickly filtered through the crowd.
Most of the injured in Turin were treated for cuts and bruises, but seven people had to be admitted to emergency units at local hospitals.
Local media reported that a seven-year-old boy was in a coma with severe chest injuries after being trampled in the crush.
Several thousand fans had turned up to watch the match on a giant screen erected by the local authorities in the city's Piazza San Carlo.
The incident compounded a miserable night for supporters of Juventus, who lost the Cardiff final 4-1 to Real Madrid.
It also underlined the impact recent acts of terror are having on a jittery public across Europe and the problems now faced by organisers of any mass gathering of people following the Bataclan, Paris, and Manchester concert attacks.
The scare in Turin came just minutes before another deadly attack unfolded in London, where assailants drove over pedestrians on London Bridge before going on a stabbing spree.
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