A fire that started in electrical work tore through a hotel in Medina where about 700 people were staying to perform the umrah. Fifteen Egyptian pilgrims died, most of them from suffocation, and 130 people were injured.
Source: Al Jazeera
TragedyOn this day — February 8 in African history
Real events, births and milestones from Africa and the diaspora.
We are adding a source to every entry in this archive. 2 of 7 on this page carry one so far. The rest were written before per-entry citations were recorded, so if you intend to rely on one, check it independently until its source appears here. See our sourcing methodology.
Public Domain, Wikimedia Commons 1931 Shadia, celebrated Egyptian actress and singer of the golden age of Egyptian cinema, was born.
Birth
CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons 1940 Sophie Lihau-Kanza, Congolese politician who became the first woman to serve as a government minister in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, was born.
Birth
Public Domain, Wikimedia Commons 1981 Steve Gohouri, Ivorian international footballer, was born.
BirthKeegan Meth, Zimbabwean international cricketer, was born.
Birth
CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons 1986 Anderson .Paak, Grammy Award-winning American singer, songwriter and producer, was born.
Birth
CC BY 3.0 BR, Wikimedia Commons 2025 Sam Nujoma, founding President of Namibia and leader of its independence movement, died.
Source: Britannica
Death