Antananarivo, Madagascar

After police in Madagascar opened fire on a lynch mob enraged by the abduction of an albino child, killing 19 people and many were injured critically.

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According to a senior doctor, Tango Oscar described the injuries in gruesome detail, stating that nine of the 34 injured are critical and struggling to survive. The medics are awaiting an official chopper to transport them to the capital.

A police officer engaged in the shooting claimed that 500 protesters tried to force their way into the station while equipped with machetes and swords. He then claimed that police attempted to disperse the throng by firing tear gas first, followed by shots in the air. The police in the capital confirmed the toll as 11 dead and 18 injured.

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A national police head during the conference said that the department tried everything to avoid confrontation including negotiating with the crowd. He continued that tear gas was used by security forces. The incident was still under investigation, as per the police who expressed their sympathies to the families of the deceased.

In Madagascar, revenge attacks are common. It is a sizable island nation in the Indian Ocean and is one of the world’s most improvised nations.

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Hundreds of thousands of people worldwide, primarily in Africa, are affected by albinism, a hereditary condition brought on by a deficiency in melanin, the pigment that gives skin, hair, and eyes their colour.

The Democratic Republic of the Congo, Malawi, Mozambique, and Tanzania are listed as the nations with the highest prevalence of these attacks.

(With inputs from agencies)