Fifty-six people were killed and several injured in a stampede at a soccer stadium in southern Guinea following clashes between fans, the military government of the West African nation said Monday. Authorities were conducting an investigation to establish who was responsible for the stampede on Sunday, Communications Minister Fana Soumah said in a statement read on national television.
Several children were among the victims, according to local media and a coalition of political parties.
The stampede broke out Sunday afternoon at the stadium in the city of Nzerekore during the final of a local tournament between the Labe and Nzerekore teams in honor of Guinea’s military leader, Mamadi Doumbouya, Guinea’s Prime Minister Amadou Oury Bah said on social media.
“During the stampede, victims were recorded,” Bah said, without giving details. Regional authorities were working to restore calm in the area, he added.
Local media reported security forces had tried to use tear gas to restore calm after the chaos that followed a disputed penalty.
“This (the disputed penalty) angered supporters who threw stones. This is how the security services used tear gas,” Media Guinea, a local news website, reported. It said several of those killed were children while some of the injured being treated at a regional hospital were in critical condition.
