Children die in stampede as Tanzania mourns leader

Children die in stampede as Tanzania mourns leader

A woman and four children have died after a stampede as Tanzanians mourn former President John Magufuli.

Some reports say the death toll could be high as 40 but officials have not confirmed this.

Tens of thousands of people had turned up at a stadium in Dar es Salaam to view the body of the former president.

Nicknamed the bulldozer, Magufuli was popular with many Tanzanians for his no-nonsense governance style.

Critics, however, accused him of being an autocrat and of clamping down on dissent.

He also downplayed the effects of coronavirus and stopped the publication of the country's case numbers and deaths. Opposition politicians say that Magufuli died from Covid-19, but this has not been confirmed.