23 people have been killed in a stampede at a football stadium in Sudan.
The incident occurred during a Sudanese national service graduation ceremony.
Relatives flocked to the stadium in Khartoum's twin city of Omdurman to watch youth graduate after their basic training before the onset of their one-year obligatory military service.
'Crowds trying to get into Khartoum stadium led to the deaths of 23 people,' said Sudanese police in a statement.
'The majority of them are women and children, and 36 people were injured who are now in Omdurman Hospital.'
The graduation celebration still went ahead in the presence of Defence Minister Abdel Rahim Mohamed Hussein and Presidential Adviser Nafie Ali Nafie.
Witnesses at the stadium said there were huge numbers of people pushing at the doors and access was poorly organised. They heard ambulance sirens but did not see those who were killed.
