An appearance by German social media star and footballer Nader Jindaoui at a waffle store sparked a stampede on Sunday, police said.
What happened?
Jindaoui plays for Bundesliga II side Hertha Berlin. Ahead of the stampede, he addressed his one million followers on Tiktok and Instagram to announce he would visit the venue called “Wonder Waffel” in the Gesundbrunnen neighborhood of capital.
His wife Louisa, who is also a social media star with 2.3 million Instagram followers, appeared at the waffle store with Jindaoui.
The store had offered to treat the fans to free waffles for the occasion.
Around a thousand people initially gathered at the store to see Jindaoui, and the crowd quickly doubled as he arrived. Police said the event devolved into “tumultuous scenes” forcing them to intervene when a stampede broke out.
DPA news agency cited police saying they had to make announcements on loudspeakers to clear the street and sidewalk in order to help the victims.
Children among the injured
Among those injured was a 10-year-old girl, who was reportedly taken to hospital with chest pains after several the crowd started pushing to get into the store.
An eight-year-old boy suffered shortness of breath and was removed from the crowd.
Four other youngsters also suffered shortness of breath and circulatory problems, according to police.
The shop owner agreed with the police to call off the event.
However, a second crush reportedly happened when Jindaoui tried to leave via a back exit.
Influencer apologizes to fans
The 28-year-old Jinaoui explained the decision to cancel the appearance on Instagram, describing it as a “state of emergency.”
“I can understand why the police stopped it. In the end, it’s really about your safety,” he told fans.
The influencer said he was saddened that not everyone could take a photo with him, especially as many fans had traveled long distances.
“We would have loved to have taken time for each of you,” he said.
Jinaoui is a prominent influencer on Instagram and YouTube, where he shares insights into his life and football career.
This article was written with material from DPA news agency.
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