Deadly crush reported outside Africa Cup of Nations match in Cameroon

At least six people have died as fans tried to enter a stadium hosting an African Cup of Nations game in Cameroon on Monday, a government official has confirmed.

Naseri Paul Biya, governor of the central region of Cameroon, said there could be more casualties. Officials at a nearby hospital said they had received at least 40 injured people from the crush.

“Some of the injured are in desperate condition,” said Olinga Prudence, a nurse at the Messassi hospital. “We will have to evacuate them to a specialised hospital.”

The incident happened as crowds struggled to get access to Olembe Stadium in the Cameroon capital of Yaoundé to watch the host country play Comoros in a last 16 knockout game in Africa’s top football tournament. It is not immediately clear if the incident happened before kick-off or during the game.

A statement from the tournament organisers, Confederation of African Football (CAF), said that it “is aware of the incident that took place at Olembe Stadium during the fixture between hosts Cameroon and Comoros [on] 24 January 2022.”

“CAF is currently investigating the situation and trying to get more details on what transpired,” the statement added. “We are in constant communication with Cameroon government and the local organising committee.

“Tonight, the CAF president, Dr Patrice Motsepe, sent the General Secretary, Veron Mosengo-Omba, to visit the supporters in hospital in Yaoundé.”

Officials had earlier said around 50,000 people had tried to attend the match. The stadium has a capacity of 60,000 but it was not meant to be more than 80% full for the game due to restrictions on the size of the crowd because of the coronavirus pandemic.

Cameroon won the game 2-1 to reach the quarter-finals.