AFCON 2021: Eight reported dead in crush at Paul Biya stadium
At least eight people have been reported dead and dozens more injured in a crush outside an Africa Cup of Nations football match in Cameroon.
Videos showed crowds of screaming football fans being crushed at the entry gates to the Paul Biya stadium in the capital Yaounde.
Witnesses described chaotic scenes outside the ground as thousands of fans struggled to get access.
Of the 38 people who were injured, seven are in a serious condition.
One child is among the dead, according to officials quoted by the AFP news agency.
The stadium has a capacity of 60,000, but because of Covid restrictions it was not meant to be more than 80% full for the game on Monday.
Match officials were quoted as saying that some 50,000 people were trying to attend.
Dutch journalist Buster Emil Kirchner said that he saw “a lot of chaos” by the stadium’s gates as fans clamoured to enter the ground.
“It was hectic – people running, people climbing fences, people breaking through the barricades,” he said, adding he saw many people without tickets trying to “force themselves in”.
The last 16 match between Cameroon and Comoros took place despite the incident and ended with a 2-1 win for the hosts.
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