MONROVIA, Liberia (AP):

At least eight people died from suffocation in an overcrowded stadium yesterday during a World Cup qualifier that was drawn 1-1 between Gambia and Liberia.

The 33,000-seat Samuel K. Doe stadium was packed beyond capacity for the game between the two African rivals. United Nations peacekeepers, stationed in Liberia since the end of the country's civil war, had closed the stadium's gates more than two hours before the game when they realised the stadium was already beyond capacity.

Illegal tickets

Many had entered illegally using fraudulent tickets, leaving thousands of actual ticket holders stranded outside, creating a melee at the gates. There was also a rush at another wing of the stadium where several people were crushed, said Liberian Red Cross rescue worker Emmanuel Johnson.

"Other spectators tried all sorts of means to save (the people who were being crushed), but could not help. That is why they expired," said Emmanuel Johnson, a Red Cross rescue worker.

The Liberian Football Associa-tion's chief doctor, Sam Harris, said the bodies of eight dead were taken to the country's main hospital. Johnson put the death toll at 10.

Ebrima Sillah gave Gambia the lead in the 19th minute, but Oliver Makor equalised for Liberia in the 81st.