At least eight people have died in Cameroon in a stampede outside a stadium holding an African Cup of Nations game, government officials announced. Dozens others were injured in the incident, which occurred Monday.
The stampede took place at Olembe Stadium in Yaounde, Cameroon's capital.
The crowd was attempting to approach the stadium to see Cameroon face Comoros in a round of 16 knockout game. The scene then turned deadly as the crowd turned into a stampede.Those from Messassi hospital close to the stadium said they took in at least 40 people injured from nearby the stadium. It is not yet known how severe those injuries are.
A nurse at the hospital, Olinga Prudence, told the Associated Press, "Some of the injured are in desperate condition. We will have to evacuate them to a specialized hospital."
The stadium is only meant to hold 80% of its 60,000 capacity due to COVID-19, but soccer officials say about 50,000 attempted to go to the game.
The Confederation of African Football (CAF) released a statement saying it was investigating the incident:
6 people are believed to have died and dozens hurt in a stampede outside the Olembe. Cameroon’s CR Governor Naseri Paul Biya has confirmed the incident. The injured being treated at Messassi District Hospital.
— Juliet Bawuah (@julietbawuah) January 24, 2022
CAF says They are investigating the situation to get more details” pic.twitter.com/MM4CdejDDe
Cameron won the game, 2-1, to advance to the AFCON quarterfinals.
