Death Toll in Togo Team Ambush Rises to 3

National soccer team pulls out of African tournament
By Newser Editors and Wire Services
Posted Jan 9, 2010 10:11 AM CST
Death Toll in Togo Team Ambush Rises to 3
In this image made from video, Togo soccer players gather themselves after the attack.   (AP Photo/TPA via APTN)

Togo's national soccer team pulled out of an African soccer tournament today following a deadly attack on their bus in Angola. A goalie for the team said on French radio that the death toll has risen to three, with the victims apparently being the bus driver, an assistant coach, and a team spokesperson. Two players were shot and injured.

Gunmen opened fire on the bus as it traveled in a region of Angola racked by separatist violence. The team was on its way to compete in the African Cup of Nations, though it's not clear whether the squad was specifically targeted or the victim of random violence. "The shooting lasted for half an hour and and I could hear the bullets whistling past me." said one player. "It was like a movie." (More Togo stories.)

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