At least nine people, some of them children, died in a crush as revellers rang in the new year at a shopping centre in Uganda’s capital, police said. After fireworks outside the Freedom City mall in Kampala, “a stampede ensued, resulting in the instant deaths of five people and injuries to several others”, said Luke Owoyesigyire, a national police spokesperson. Four people died on their way to hospital, “largely due to suffocation,” he added. “Emergency responders arrived on the scene and transported the injured individuals to the hospital, where nine were confirmed dead.” He said “rash” acts and “negligence” led to the tragedy. A local police spokesperson, Patrick Onyango, said: “Most of the dead were juveniles, ages 10, 11, 14 and 20. There are several injured and our team of investigators are following up to get the exact number.” One of the survivors, Sylvia Nakalema, 27, a businesswoman, said the crush started when people went to view the fireworks on a platform and were returning downstairs. She said: “There was a huge crowd. People begun pushing each other for space, leading some to fall, and the stampede ensued. Children were crying and there was chaos. I survived because I was pushed in a corner by the crowd. “I felt losing breath but I stayed put since I had no exit until the situation calmed down, but some people were already lying down gasping for breath.” Uganda’s NTV channel broadcast images of relatives of the dead gathered outside a morgue on Sunday.