Stampede at Republic of Congo stadium kills 31

The recruitment process has been suspended and a day of mourning declared to pay tribute to 31 recovered bodies and more than 140 injured, it said in a statement that revised an earlier reported death toll of 37.

Images shared on social media showed dozens of injured young men sprawled over the floor of a basketball court.

Local media said the stampede was triggered by young men seeking to submit their applications to join the army, an important employer in the country where little of its oil riches have trickled down to the population.

Male unemployment runs at more than 20 per cent, according to International Labour Organisation figures.

In August a stampede of sports fans trying to enter Madagascar's national stadium for the opening ceremony of the Indian Ocean Island Games killed 12 and injured about 80.