45 died in stampede to see ex-president’s body in Tanzania

Mourners, seen through glass, pay their respects as the body of former president John Magufuli lies in state at Uhuru stadium in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania Saturday, March 20, 2021. Magufuli, a prominent COVID-19 skeptic whose populist rule often cast his country in a harsh international spotlight, died Wednesday aged 61 of heart failure, it was announced by Vice President Samia Suluhu Hassan, who was sworn-in as the country’s new president on Friday. (AP Photo)

Forty-five people died in a stampede in Tanzania last week during a public viewing of the body of late president John Magufuli before he was buried, police have said.

Mr Magufuli was revered by many in Tanzania for his pugnacious style of leadership and his campaign against corruption, although opposition leaders criticised him for his scepticism of the Covid-19 pandemic and repressive policies.