Human rights groups in Guinea say they believe more than 135 soccer fans died in a crush at a stadium on Sunday, most of them children.
The figure, which is not verified, far exceeds The official death toll is 56.
The groups said the estimate was based on information from hospitals, cemeteries, witnesses at the stadium, victims’ families, mosques, churches and local media. More than 50 people are still missing, he added.
The military government, however, has warned against the spread of “unverified” information, stating that its investigations are ongoing into the tragedy in the country’s second largest city, Nzérékoré.
Justice Minister Yaya Kaïraba Kaba said he had ordered the opening of a judicial investigation against the alleged perpetrators.
He said anyone who spread “malicious or unverified information” would be arrested and prosecuted.
The fatal incident occurred after a controversial refereeing decision during the match, which led to violence.
Police responded with tear gas as people tried to flee.
But human rights groups blamed the deaths on the game’s organizers and Guinea’s ruling military junta, which held the tournament in honor of President Mamady Doumbouya.
The Nzérékoré collective of human rights groups claimed that tear gas had been used excessively in a closed venue and added that vehicles carrying officials leaving the stadium also hit citizens trying to escape.
Prime Minister Mamadou Oury Bah on Tuesday announced three days of national mourning for the victims.
Government spokesman Ousmane Gaoual told local site Guineenews that the country was “in mourning and we must respect the mourning of Guinea and the families,” in response to a question about the number of victims.
“The government announces provisional figures and someone presents other figures, where is the contradiction? We did not say that they are definitive figures,” he stated.
A local journalist in Nzérékoré previously told the BBC that the stadium had been “full to the brim” with thousands of people before the deadly incident.
Paul Sakouvogi said the stadium had “only one exit… which was very small”, where the crush occurred as people tried to flee.
Guinea is among several African countries currently banned from holding international football matches for failing to meet international standards.
Others excluded by the Confederation of African Football (Caf) from such matches include Ethiopia, Gambia, Chad and Sierra Leone.
