Authorities stated Tuesday that eight people have died as a result of a stampede outside a game during the African Cup of Nations soccer tournament in Cameroon, with another seven people in bad condition in hospital.
According to authorities, the death toll has risen as two more fans were found dead outside the Messassi hospital. Police and bystanders attempting to assist have rushed the injured victims to the hospital. The hospital immediately became overburdened and announced that it would be unable to accommodate all of the casualties.
The stampede, which occurred on Monday night at Olembe Stadium in Yaounde, Cameroon’s capital, injured a total of 38 people. The other 31 victims had minor to moderate injuries. According to Communication Minister René Sadi, the injured are presently being treated in four different hospitals.
When soccer fans struggled to get into the stadium to watch Cameroon’s team play Comoros in a highly anticipated knockout game at Africa’s top soccer event, the crush occurred. It’s possible that the disaster was caused by spectators attempting to bypass COVID-19 inspections in order to witness the game. If supporters want to attend games at the African Cup, they must produce documentation of negative viral tests and be COVID-19 vaccinated, according to local organisers. At stadiums, they must go through hygienic and security inspections.
Local television stations broadcast footage of individuals jumping over the stadium’s security walls, and police were said to be overwhelmed. According to the Cameroon government, 57,000 people attended the game, despite the fact that the crowd was supposed to be limited to 40,000 due to the pandemic. The Olembe can hold 60,000 people.
According to a witness, the stampede at the stadium’s south entrance occurred when security authorities directed fans to a shut entrance gate. The gate was eventually opened, prompting a stampede and many were trampled. The children were swept up in the stampede, the witness added.
President of Cameroon, Paul Biya, has requested an investigation into the disaster, which occurred just one day after a fire at a nightclub in Yaounde resulted in a sequence of explosions that killed at least 17 people.
For the first time in 50 years, the Central African nation is hosting the African Cup of Nations, and its preparations have been scrutinised for years. Cameroon was supposed to host the tournament in 2019, however due to major problems with Cameroon’s preparations, particularly in and around stadiums, that year’s event was taken away and awarded to Egypt.
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