( CNN ) -- Ivory Coast 's president declared three days of national mourning and promised a speedy investigation into the New Year 's Day stampede that killed 60 people , most of them women and children . `` The president of the republic offers his saddest condolences to the families and close relations of the victims and ensures them of his compassion in those painful circumstances , '' President Alassane Ouattara 's office said in a statement issued Tuesday night . Ouattara went to the scene of the disaster and has ordered the government to take care of the injured , his office said . `` He also asked an investigation to be carried out as soon as possible to determine the circumstances and causes of this stampede , '' the statement said . The horror unfolded about 1 a.m. after a New Year 's Eve fireworks show in Abidjan , the West African country 's largest city and former capital . The dead included 26 children , 28 women and six men , Youth Minister Alain Lobognon reported via Twitter . Read more : Death toll from stampede at Angola stadium vigil rises . Interior Minister Hamed Bakayoko said the tragedy happened as hundreds of people were trying to go home after the fireworks display ended in Plateau , the city 's central business district . The crush was near a stadium , Bakayoko said , adding that the proper security measures were in place during the fireworks show . In addition to the deaths , Bakayoko said , another 49 people were injured , two seriously . Many of the victims were trampled on or suffocated by the surging crowd , a senior fire official said on national television . Rescue workers were at the scene two hours later but could not save the victims , the official AIP news agency said . AIP had reported earlier that all the victims were all children , ranging in age from eight to 15 . A police official in Abidjan told CNN that most of the victims were young people who wanted to join in the celebration while their elders stayed at home . The stampede occurred in an area of narrow streets , according to the official , who did not want to be named as he is not authorized to talk to the media . He said the parents of those involved were at the hospitals and were being assisted by state authorities . Before the night 's events took a deadly turn , AIP reported that thousands of people had poured into the streets to join the celebration , seen by some as symbolizing the nation 's return to peace . Nearly 5,000 extra personnel were deployed to ensure people 's security , the news agency said , most of them in the Plateau area . Ivory Coast suffered months of violence following disputed presidential elections in November 2010 . Laurent Gbagbo , then the incumbent president , refused to step down after Ouattara was declared the winner . Gbagbo was arrested five months later and is now awaiting trial at The Hague , in the Netherlands , accused of crimes against humanity for the civil unrest and deaths . The International Criminal Court also wants Ivory Coast to hand over his wife , Simone Gbagbo , to face allegations of crimes against humanity . The West African nation is home to around 22 million people , according to the CIA World Factbook . CNN 's Laura Smith-Spark and Stephanie Halasz reported from London ; and journalist Gemma Parellada from Abidjan .
NEW : Ouattara vows speedy probe into stampede that kills 49 . Another 26 people are injured , CNN Minister Hamed Bakayoko says . Youth minister says 49 of the dead are children and 60 are women . West African nation is home to about 22 million people .