A stampede at a soccer stadium in the city of Nzerekore, Guinea, has killed 56 people, the government of Guinea said on Monday.
Guinea’s prime minister, Amadou Oury Bah, said in a post on X that the stampede took place Sunday during the final of a local soccer tournament celebrating Guinea’s military leader, Mamadi Doumbouya, who seized power in a 2021 coup. The teams from Nzerekore, the second-largest city in the country, and Labe, a bustling commercial city, were playing in the final.
According to the government, fans threw stones, which caused other fans to panic and flee the stadium, leading to a stampede. A witness told Reuters that a disputed red card issued in the 82nd minute angered fans, which is why stones were being thrown to begin with, and the response from local police may have worsened the situation.
“The stone throwing started and the police joined in, firing tear gas. In the rush and scramble that followed, I saw people fall to the ground, girls and children trampled underfoot. It was horrible,” Amara Conde told Reuters by phone.
Bah condemned the violence in his post on X, and called for calm in Nzerekore so hospital services can tend to the injured. According to the Associated Press, Bah said in a televised statement that the government is already conducting an investigation into the incident.