Guinea: Dozens killed after stampede over soccer penalty

At least 56 people, including children, were killed when chaos broke out at a soccer game in Guinea, authorities said on Monday.

The incident occurred on Sunday in Guinea's second-largest city, Nzerekore.

"The government deplores the incidents that marred the football match between the Labe and Nzerekore teams this afternoon in Nzerekore," Guinea's Prime Minister Amadou Oury Bah wrote on social media.

"During the stampede, victims were recorded."

What do we know about the incident?

Match attendees said that a dispute broke out between fans of the local Nzerekore squad and supporters of the team from the city of Labe following a controversial decision by the referee.

"This [the disputed penalty] angered supporters who threw stones. This is how the security services used tear gas," local outlet Media Guinea reported.

The use of tear gas reportedly sparked panic.

A police station in Nzerekore was also vandalized as the clashes moved through the streets of the city. According to city officials who spoke with journalists on condition of anonymity, many of the victims were minors who got caught a stampede out of the stadium that followed police officers releasing tear gas.

Hospitals overwhelmed

Unverified footage showed bodies in the street outside the stadium. Other videos showed people clambering up the walls of the stadium to escape the violence. 

"There are bodies lined up as far as the eye can see in the hospital. Others are lying on the floor in the hallways. The morgue is full," a doctor told French news agency AFP.

Prime Minister Bah appealed for calm as the details of the incident emerged.

According to local media, the match was part of a tournament being held in honor of Guinea's military leader Mamadi Doumbouya, who has been in power since a September 2021 coup.

es/zc (AP, AFP, Reuters)