Families identify victims of Johannesburg stadium disaster

Relatives are identifying the bodies of at least 43 people who died after a stampede at a soccer match in South Africa.

Thousands of fans who couldn't fit into Johannesburg's Ellis Park stadium shoved and broke through a fence or climbed over gates.

Government and soccer league officials are meeting to look into what caused the stampede at a game between the Kaizer Chiefs and the Orlando Pirates.

Officials didn't call off the game until 10 minutes after the first body had been carried away, one fan said.

"We thought someone had fainted," said Abdul Patel, who spent 20 minutes in the throng outside before he got in. Later, he saw at least 10 bodies being carried onto the field.

Gates leading to the stadium were closed after it had filled to its capacity of 62,000, said Robin Petersen, chief of the Premier Soccer League.

The thousands of fans still outside then began pushing the fence, breaking it in four places, he said.

Guards were unable to stop the crowd from pouring into the already full stands, Petersen said, and officials didn't initially realise the magnitude of the problem.

"Maybe had we responded earlier, the situation would have been averted," he was quoted as saying.

An emergency services spokesman said 89 people were injured, including nine who remained in critical condition.