Six Die In AFCON 2021 Stampede At Stadium Before Cameroon, Comoros Match
Six people are reported to have been killed and dozens hurt in a crush outside a stadium hosting an Africa Cup of Nations match in Cameroon.
A video footage showed football fans struggling to get access to the Paul Biya Stadium in a neighbourhood of the capital Yaounde.
Naseri Paul Biya, governor of Cameroon’s central region, said there may be more casualties, AP News said.
Another report said a number of children had lost consciousness.
The stadium has a capacity of 60,000 but because of COVID-19 restrictions, it was not meant to be about 80 per cent filled.
Match officials were quoted as saying that some 50,000 people were trying to attend.
Nurse Olinga Prudence told AP that some of the injured were in a “desperate condition.”
The Confederation of African Football, CAF said in a statement that it is
currently investigating the situation and trying to get more details on what transpired.
The round of 16 match between Cameroon and Comoros took place despite the incident and ended with a 2-1 win for the hosts.
Justin Nwosu is the founder and publisher of Flavision. His core interest is in writing unbiased news about Nigeria in particular and Africa in general. He’s a strong adherent of investigative journalism, with a bent on exposing corruption, abuse of power and societal ills.