135 people died when the soccer field collapsed, said human rights groups in Guinea
Human rights groups in Guinea say they believe more than 135 football fans were killed in the attack on the stadium fence on Sunday, most of them children.
The figure, which has not been confirmed, far exceeds the official death toll of 56 people.
These organizations say this estimate is based on information from hospitals, cemeteries, witnesses at the stadium, victims’ families, mosques, churches and local media. More than 50 others are still missing, he said.
The military government, however, warned against spreading “unconfirmed” information, saying its investigation was ongoing into the tragedy in the country’s second largest city, Nzérékoré.
The Minister of Justice, Yaya Kaïraba Kaba, said that he has ordered an investigation to be opened against the suspects who did this.
He said that anyone who spreads “unverified or malicious information” will be arrested and prosecuted.
This terrible incident follows the referee’s decision which was the subject of controversy during the match, which caused violence.
The police responded with tear gas, when people tried to escape.
But the organization fighting for the right blamed the death of the organizers of the game and the ruling army in Guinea, who held the tournament in honor of the president Mamady Doumbouya.
A group of human rights organizations in Nzérékoré said that tear gas was used extensively in the fenced area, adding that the vehicles carrying the officials who were leaving the arena also hit civilians who were trying to escape.
Prime Minister Mamadou Oury Bah on Tuesday announced three days of mourning for the victims across the country.
Government spokesman Ousmane Gaoual told local website Guineanews that the country “is mourning and we must respect the mourning of Guinea and the families” in response to a question about the number of victims.
“The government announces temporary statistics and then someone comes up with other statistics, where is the conflict? We did not say that these are the final statistics,” he was quoted as saying.
A local journalist in Nzérékoré earlier told the BBC that the stadium was “packed” with thousands of people before the tragic incident.
Paul Sakouvogi said the stadium had “one exit… which was very small”, where there was a crush when people tried to escape.
Guinea is among many African countries that have been banned from hosting international football matches due to not meeting international standards.
Others banned by the Confederation of African Football (Caf) from such matches include Ethiopia, Gambia, Chad and Sierra Leone.
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