Infant trampled underfoot, 8 killed in Cameroon-Comoros match (video)

At least eight people were killed and 50 injured in a stampede on Monday in front of a football stadium in Yaounde, ahead of the match between Cameroon, hosts of the African Nations Cup, and Comoros in the last eight, according to official authorities.

A crowd of fans tried to enter an Olympic stadium in the capital, Yaounde, through a southern gate, to watch the match, which ended with Cameroon winning 2-1 and qualifying for the quarter-finals.

Despite reducing the capacity of the stadium, which can accommodate sixty thousand spectators, due to the Corona measures, the capacity is raised from sixty to eighty percent when the Cameroon lions play on their land.

"Eight deaths were recorded of two women and four men, all in their thirties, in addition to a child and a dead body taken by family members," said a preliminary report issued by the Cameroonian Ministry of Health, obtained by AFP.

The ministry added that the wounded were taken "immediately by ambulance to hospitals, but the traffic jam slowed down the transportation process."

Fans stampede after the Cameroon-Comoros match 🇨🇲🇰🇲💔pic.twitter.com/1y4PENAe2t

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Final Round (@AFCON22) January 24, 2022

The ministry indicated that about 50 people were injured in the stampede, including two people with multiple injuries and two others with serious head injuries.

It was also reported that a baby was run over by the crowd, according to the ministry, but he was "immediately recovered and taken to Yaounde General Hospital" and is in a "medically stable" condition.

The tournament organizers had previously confirmed to AFP that casualties had been recorded, without giving further details.

"There was a stampede, as it can happen when there is a crowd. We are waiting for reliable information on the number of victims in this tragic accident," Abel Mbenge, spokesman for the Organizing Committee of the African Cup of Nations, told AFP.

The Confederation of African Football, which organizes the continental competition, announced in a statement that it was "investigating the incident and trying to obtain more details about what happened."

In a statement posted on the Internet, the federation added that it had sent its general secretary "to visit the fans in the hospital in Yaounde," noting that "it is in constant contact with the Cameroonian government and the local organizing committee."

Cameroonian Health Minister Manauda Malachi posted pictures of him on Twitter visiting a hospital treating the injured in the accident.

"We are doing what is necessary to provide them with free medical care in addition to the best support," he wrote.

The Federation will hold a "crisis meeting" with the organizing committee on Tuesday morning at 09:30 am (0830 GMT), dedicated exclusively to security issues in the stadiums.

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