At least 13 people, including seven children, were killed in a crowd stampede at a stadium in the Madagascar capital of Antananarivo, according to the Red Cross and a local member of parliament.

"So far 13 people have been killed and 107 injured," said opposition MP Hanitra Razafimanantsoa on a local radio station.

The Red Cross, who were on the scene, added: "We don't yet have the final list. Seven minors died."

The prime minister of the Indian Ocean nation Christian Ntsay had initially put the toll at "12 dead and some 80 injured".

The stampede occurred at the entrance to the Barea stadium where a crowd of around 50,000 spectators had arrived to attend the opening ceremony of the Indian Ocean Island Games.

The cause of the tragedy was not immediately known but the Red Cross said the toll could climb.

"There were a lot of people at the entrance, which triggered a stampede," Antsa Mirado, a communications manager with the Red Cross, told AFP.