Guinea football crush kills dozens in N’zérékoré
Dozens of people were killed during clashes at a football match in Guinea’s second-largest city, N’Zérékore, local media reported.
Prime Minister Mamadou Oury Bah said there were multiple victims in a “stampede” at Sunday’s event and called for calm.
A doctor who asked not to be named told AFP, “Everywhere you look in the hospital, there are corpses lined up in a row.”
“Others were lying on the floor in the corridor. The morgue was full,” he added.
Local media said supporters of the visiting team Rabe threw rocks on the pitch and expressed anger at the referee, and police used tear gas.
As of now, the official number of casualties has not been announced.
“It all started with a controversial decision by the referee. Then fans invaded the pitch,” an eyewitness told AFP.
Videos and images on social media appeared to show chaotic scenes outside the stadium, with large crowds trying to scale the walls and numerous bodies on the ground.
Some of those lying unresponsive on the ground appeared to be children.
The BBC has not been able to independently verify the videos.
The Prime Minister said in a statement that regional authorities were working to “restore calm”, adding that hospitals were assisting the injured.
According to local news website Media Guinée, thousands of spectators were present when the crush occurred during the match between Nzérékore and Rabe.
Sunday’s match was said to be part of a tournament commemorating President Mamadi Doumbouya, who seized power in a September 2021 coup.
