Guinean football kills dozens of people in N’zérékoré

Dozens of people have died in a crowd following clashes during a football match in Guinea’s second largest city, N’zérékoré, local media report.

Prime Minister Mamadou Oury Bah said a “stampede” at the event caused several casualties on Sunday and called for calm.

A doctor, who asked not to be identified, told AFP there were “bodies lined up as far as the eye can see in the hospital.”

“Others are lying on the floor in the hallways. The morgue is full,” he added.

Local media said police had used tear gas after fans of the visiting team, Labé, threw stones onto the pitch in anger at the referee.

So far no official casualty figures have been given.

“It all started with a disputed decision by the referee. Then the fans invaded the pitch,” a witness told AFP.

Videos and images spread on social networks appear to show chaotic scenes outside the stadium, with large crowds trying to jump over the walls and numerous bodies on the ground.

Some of those lying on the ground unresponsive appear to be children.

The BBC has not been able to independently verify these videos.

Regional authorities are working to “restore calm,” Prime Minister Bah said in a statement, adding that hospitals are treating the injured.

Thousands of spectators were present when the crush occurred in a match between N’zérékoré and Labé, local news website MediaGuinée reported.

He said Sunday’s match was part of a tournament in honor of President Mamadi Doumbouya, who seized power in a coup in September 2021.

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