At least eight dead and 38 injured: this is the provisional toll of the deadly stampede at the entrance to the big stadium in Yaoundé before a match of the African Cup of Nations (CAN) on Monday evening.
The day after a stampede that killed eight people at the entrance to the Yaoundé stadium before a match of the African Cup of Nations (CAN), Cameroon and the Confederation of African Football (CAF) are investigating and want to avoid a new drama as the ultimate encounters approach.
This Monday evening was to be a big party in the host country. The Indomitable Lions were about to play their round of 16 against Comoros at the capital’s grand Olembé stadium when a crowd swirling at at least one entrance knocked dozens of fans to the ground, before others do not step on them, according to convergent testimonies collected by AFP, which evoke security forces and health personnel “overwhelmed by events”.
Professor André Omgbwa Eballe, director of the Olembé district hospital, had gone to the match and was waiting in front of the South gate, then went to his establishment to receive dozens of injured people. “It was an incredible influx, I had never seen so many people in front of this stadium”, testifies the doctor at the microphone of AFPTV.
“It was when the police opened the gates that some fell and others stepped on them,” he continues. “There, I saw the courage of Cameroonians, it was really resourcefulness, I saw people resuscitating others, others doing mouth to mouth, otherwise we would have had more deaths”, says the professor, before letting go: “In front of the gates, the police and the health control were overwhelmed by the events.”
As with most national team meetings, thousands of supporters gathered in front of the Olembé complex, some with a ticket, others not, in the hope of returning, assure Professor Eballe and other witnesses.
A 60% stadium filling gauge has been introduced, increased to 80% when Cameroon plays
The 60,000-seat stadium was specially built for the AFCON and barely completed for the start of the competition on January 9. To prevent the spread of the coronavirus, a 60% stadium filling gauge has been introduced, increased to 80% when Cameroonians play, and supporters must jointly present a vaccination certificate and a negative test.
The security system provides three rows of controls, an alignment of barnums for checking sanitary passes, another for security searches and a third with 2m50 high grids for checking tickets.
“The gendarmes asked us to line up but there were undisciplined people who said: + Push, push +”, described to AFP André Djoko in front of the Olembé district hospital.
“So the first people fell, the others climbed on them to pass and others climbed on the barrier. Those in front were saying: + You are crushing people + but they were not listening, “adds the youngster. man, cheek smeared with paint in the colors of Cameroon.
– Crushed –
“I found myself crushed against a woman who was screaming that she could no longer breathe. At one point, the entrance gave way and I was able to pass, it was terrible chaos”, also testifies Stéphane. “People know that we let spectators in after kick-off, that’s why some tried to enter without a ticket,” laments the 30-year-old.
The tragedy killed eight people, including a child and two women, and injured 38, seven of them seriously, detailed the Minister of Communication René Emmanuel Sadi.
Cameroonian President Paul Biya has ordered an investigation “so that all the light is shed on this tragic incident”, continues the minister, whose government “once again calls on Cameroonians” for a sense of responsibility, discipline and civic-mindedness of all for the total success of this great sporting festival”.
CAF, which also announced an “investigation” overnight, held a crisis meeting on Tuesday morning with the Cameroonian CAN Organizing Committee (CoCan).
“We will, with CAF and the government, find appropriate measures to improve things and ensure that everything goes smoothly, but we cannot guarantee perfection in this area, no country can,” assured AFP at midday Abel Mbengue, spokesperson for CoCan, citing “similar dramas in Europe, France, Spain, England …”
“The new measures will be announced to you in the evening,” he promised.
Cameroon has been hosting the queen competition of African football since January 9 and until February 6 in the stadiums of five cities.
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