Dozens killed in crowd crush at Guinea soccer match

By Kathleen Magramo, Kareem El Damanhoury and Isaac Yee, Dec 2: A crowd crush at a soccer match in the West African country of Guinea has left at least 56 people dead and many others injured, authorities said Monday.

Information minister Fana Soumah said in a statement that investigations were underway into the cause of the crush at a stadium in the southern city of Nzerekore.

Social media videos showed fans scrambling to get out of the packed stadium.

“The government deplores the incidents that marred the football match between the Labé and Nzérékoré teams this afternoon in Nzérékoré,” Prime Minister Bah Oury said earlier in a statement.

“The government is monitoring the development of the situation and reiterates its call for calm so that hospital services are not hindered in providing first aid to the injured,” Oury said, with city authorities ordered to restore “social tranquillity.”

Oury’s statement did not give an account of what happened inside the stadium, but he said a more detailed report would follow.

Video geolocated by CNN showed fans scaling a wall as they tried to flee the stadium in Nzérékoré in southeastern Guinea.

Mediaguinee said clashes between fans and security began over a series of refereeing decisions followed by a stampede as crowds tried to escape the stadium.

CNN has not been able to verify those reports.

Local media outlet Avenirguinee reported that the match was part of a tournament organized by Guinea’s ruling military junta to support the candidacy of Mamady Doumbouya.

Doumbouya, who seized power in a 2021 coup and has installed himself as president, is eyeing a potential presidential run in elections expected to be held in 2025.

Doumbouya is one of several figures who have seized power in the volatile region since 2020.

West and Central Africa have seen at least eight successful coups since 2020, as political upheavals exacerbate concerns of a slide towards military rule in a resource-rich but poverty-stricken region.