A HORRIFIC crowd crush has left at least 56 people dead at a Guinea football match – as shock images showed fans trying to escape the stadium.
The deadly stampede on Sunday is believed to have been sparked by clashes at the match following a series of controversial referee decisions.
A statement from the government, led by a military junta, said today: “Protests of dissatisfaction with refereeing decisions led to stone-throwing by supporters, resulting in fatal stampedes.
It added that “hospital services have put the provisional death toll at 56”.
Terrifying pictures show dozens of desperate fans trying to escape the stadium as they try to scale a fence in Nzérékoré, the second-largest city in Guinea.
Unverified reports from N’Zerekore have claimed that around 100 people are dead.
But it’s feared the number could be much higher as bodies were seen piled in the street.
The chaos on Sunday reportedly began after fans of the visiting team, Labe, protested a referee’s decision and threw stones.
This led to the surge onto the pitch, in which police had to use tear gas to dispel the angry mob.
Angry demonstrations quickly turned violent as skirmishes broke out on the streets of the West African city.
One doctor, who did not want to be named, told AFP news agency that there were “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,” he added.
“It all started with a contested decision by the referee. Then fans invaded the pitch,” one witness told AFP.
There is not yet a verified account of exactly what went on in the stadium.
Thousands of spectators were present when the crush happened at a match between N’zérékoré and Labé.
Prime Minister Bah Oury said in a statement: “The government deplores the incidents that marred the football match between the Labé and Nzérékoré teams this afternoon in Nzérékoré.
“The government is monitoring the development of the situation and reiterates its call for calm so that hospital services are not hindered in providing first aid to the injured.”
The match was part of a tournament in honour of Guinea‘s military junta leader, Mamadi Doumbouya, who seized power in a 2021 coup and has installed himself as president.
Doumbouya seized power by force in September 2021 by overthrowing President Alpha Conde.
He made it clear in 2024 that he would hand power back to a civilian government, but has since made it clear he will not.
The leader has presided over an ongoing crackdown on dissent, with many opposition leaders detained, brought before the courts or forced into exile.
Guinea is an impoverished nation despite the number of natural resources it has.
