Twelve dead in soccer stampede in Zimbabwe

HARARE, Zimbabwe (AP) - Police fired tear gas at unruly fans during a World Cup qualifying soccer game Sunday between Zimbabwe and South Africa, setting off a stampede that killed 12 people.

''We have 12 bodies'' as a result of the stampede, a police officer at Harare's main hospital said on condition of anonymity. A doctor said most of the deaths were from internal injuries consistent with being crushed.

Anxious relatives waiting for news milled around outside Parirenyatwa hospital's emergency ward, where numerous injured patients were being treated. Hospital head Davison Sadza told state radio the 12 were dead on arrival. Four stampede victims were in critical condition, and ''many'' were injured, he said.

The incident began when fans hurled bottles and other items onto the field after South Africa scored its second goal in the game's 84th minute, giving the visitors a 2-0 lead. Police then fired tear gas at the crowd of more than 50,000, and a stampede broke out as the fans scrambled to leave the National Sports Stadium.

A fire hydrant was torn from its mountings, spraying water over fleeing fans. Players writhed on the turf, choking and covering their faces in an attempt to get away from the tear gas.

Officials at the game were outraged by the police action, which they described as a ''total overreaction,'' the South African Press Association reported.

The game, which South Africa officially won 2-0, was abandoned 10 minutes before it was supposed to conclude.

The violence came three days after South Africa was denied its bid to become the first African country to hold the World Cup. Germany was awarded the 2006 tournament in a 12-11 vote by soccer's ruling body.

South Africa made it to the first round of the 1998 World Cup and placed third in this year's African Nations Cup. Zimbabwe has never qualified for the World Cup and did not qualify for this year's African Nations Cup.

The game was one of eight World Cup qualifiers, all in Africa, on Sunday.

In April, rioting soccer fans in Kenya forced officials to abandon a World Cup qualifier between Kenya and Malawi. Fans ripped out stadium seats and littered the field with debris. The 0-0 tie was declared the official score.