Guinea football crush kills dozens in N’zérékoré
Dozens of people have died following clashes at a football match in Guinea’s second largest city, N’zérékoré, local media reported.
Prime Minister Mamadou Oury Bah said that “trampling” at the event led to many victims on Sunday and asked for calm.
Another doctor, who did not want to be named, told AFP that there were bodies lined up as far as the eye could see in the hospital.
“Some are lying on the floor in the corridors. They are very cold,” he added.
Local media said the police used tear gas after fans of the visiting team, Labé, threw stones towards the field in anger at the referee.
So far no official injury figures have been given.
“It all started with the contested decision of the referee. The fans stormed the field,” one of the witnesses told AFP.
Videos and photos on social media appear to show chaos outside the stadium, with large crowds trying to climb walls and bodies on the ground.
Some of those lying on the ground unresponsive appear to be children.
The BBC could not independently screen these videos.
Regional authorities are working to “restore peace”, Prime Minister Bah said in a statement, adding that hospitals are assisting the injured.
Thousands of spectators were present when the massacre took place in the match between N’zérékoré and Labé, local news website MediaGuinée reported.
It said Sunday’s match was part of a tournament to honor President Mamadi Doumbouya, who took over in a coup d’état in September 2021.
Source link