2 yıl önce

Opening of stadium causes deadly Cameroon stampede

Nation's sports minister blamed stadium authorities for their "reckless decision" to open the gate that led to killing eight people and injuring dozens.

Reuters

Crowds at the 60,000-seat stadium had been limited to 60 percent of capacity for the tournament due to the pandemic but the cap is raised to 80 percent for the game.

A stampede that led to the deaths of eight people outside an Africa Cup of Nations stadium was caused by a "reckless" decision to open a gate in the face of a "flood of people", Cameroon's sports minister said.

"That entry gate was momentarily closed by security forces in the face of a surge of spectators despite other entry gates being in operation," said Narcisse Mouelle Kombi at a press conference on Friday.

"Overwhelmed by this surge of people, the security forces took the reckless decision to open the south gate, leading to a crush," which caused the tragedy on Monday at the Olembe Stadium in Yaounde.

The minister also acknowledged that the number of security staff was "insufficient" at the match at Olembe Stadium in Yaounde for the match between the home nation and Comoros.

He also blamed the number of people trying to get in with fake or used tickets or even without tickets for the crush.

Federation won't allow matches

In the aftermath of the tragedy, which also left 38 people injured, Patrice Motsepe, the president of the Confederation of African Football (CAN), announced that Sunday's quarter-final due to be played at the Olembe Stadium will be switched to the Ahmadou Ahidjo stadium, also in Yaounde.

He also announced that CAF would not allow other matches to be played there if the Cameroonian authorities did not submit an investigation report by Friday.

"That gate was supposed to be open because if it was open they would have walked through, and for inexplicable reasons it was closed," Mostsepe said on Tuesday.

SOURCE: TRTWorld and agencies