Guinea stadium stampede kills 56 people following clashes at soccer match, authorities say

CONAKRY, Guinea (AP) — At least 56 people, including children, have died after fans at a soccer game in Guinea allegedly clashed over a disputed call by the referee, authorities said Monday.

The stampede broke out on Sunday afternoon at the stadium in the city of Nzerekore during the final of a local tournament between the Labe and Nzerekore teams in honor of Guinea’s military leader, Mamadi Doumbouya.

“During the stampede, victims were recorded,” Guinea’s Prime Minister Amadou Oury Bah said on the X platform, without giving details. The regional authorities are working to restore calm in the area, he added.

Local media reports said security forces had tried to use tear gas to restore calm after the chaos that followed a disputed penalty call.

“This (the disputed penalty call) angered supporters who threw stones. This is how the security services used tear gas,” Media Guinea, a local news website, reported. It said several of those killed were children while some of the injured being treated at a regional hospital are in critical condition.

Videos that appeared to be from the scene showed fans in a section of the stadium shouting and protesting the refereeing before clashes broke out as people poured onto the field. People were running as they tried to escape from the stadium, many of them jumping the high fence.