Eight confirmed dead after crush outside of Cameroon AFCON game

Witnesses described the tragic scenes as ‘chaotic’

The Cameroonian government have confirmed that eight people were killed and dozens more injured in a crush outside an Africa Cup of Nations match in the country on Monday night.

It was reported late on Monday that at least six people had died, however, the official number of fatalities has since been updated and confirmed.

Prior to the start of Cameroon’s knockout fixture against Comoros at the Paul Biya Stadium in Olembe, reports claimed that a number of fans were involved in a crush as they attempted to make their way into the ground.

Video footage showed several people screaming as they were crushed against the entry gates, with witnesses describing the tragic scenes as ‘chaotic’ as thousands of fans struggled to gain access.

As reported by the BBC, seven of the 38 people who were injured are in a serious condition and one child is among the dead, according to officials quoted by the AFP news agency.

Although the stadium has a capacity of 60,000, the tournament’s covid restrictions meant that the ground should not have been more than 80 per cent full for the game on Monday night.

However, match officials were quoted as saying that some 50,000 people were trying to attend the round of 16 tie.

The Government here in Cameroon say 8 people died in the incident outside the ground in Olembe last night.
38 injuries, seven of them serious.

Truly awful.

Inside the ground we had no idea that such a tragedy had happened.

Thoughts with all the families this morning. pic.twitter.com/mbyonxI6bY

— John Bennett (@JohnBennettBBC) January 25, 2022

Nurse Olinga Prudence told the Associated Press that some of the injured were in a “desperate condition”.