A stampede outside the stadium hosting Cameroon’s Africa Cup of Nations match with Comoros has resulted in at least eight deaths, an official has said.
The governor of the central region of Cameroon, Naseri Paul Biya, admitted there could be more casualties following the incident in the capital Yaounde.
According to AP, the stampede occurred when crowds were looking to gain access to Olembe Stadium.
Officials said roughly 50,000 people were attempting to attend the match, although the 60,000-seater stadium was operating at an 80% capacity due to coronavirus restrictions.
The nearby Messassi hospital reportedly received more than 40 people who had been injured from the stampede.
“Some of the injured are in desperate condition,” a nurse said.
“We will have to evacuate them to a specialised hospital.”
Hosts Cameroon beat Comoros 2-1 to reach the quarter-finals. Comoros had played the match with a defender in goal, and went down to 10 men early in the first half.
The Confederation of African Footbal said in a statement: “CAF is aware of the incident that took place at Olembe Stadium during the TotalEnergies Africa Cup of Nations fixture between hosts Cameroon and Comoros tonight, 24 January 2022.
“CAF is currently investigating the situation and trying to get more details on what transpired. We are in constant communication with Cameroon government and the Local Organizing Committee.
“Tonight, the CAF President Dr Patrice Motsepe sent the General Secretary, Veron Mosengo-Omba to visit the supporters in hospital in Yaoundé.”
