By Saliou Samb
CONAKRY (Reuters) – When Mory Cisse dropped his 27-year-old brother off at a stadium in the southeastern Guinean city of Nzerekore to watch a soccer match after lunch on Sunday, he had no idea it would be the last time he saw him alive.
His brother had been in town for the funeral of their father who died last week, and the two had gone to watch the final of a tournament in honour of Guinea’s junta leader Mamady Doumbouya.
Cisse left before chaos erupted in the stadium, leading to a crush that killed at least 56 people, including his brother.
“It was at 7 p.m. that a friend called me to tell me that the situation was very tense there (at the stadium),” Cisse said.
“I was told to call my brother’s number but it was not going through. It was when I went to the hospital that I found his body.”
A city administration official said many victims were children caught in the turmoil after police started firing tear gas.
“We saw four bodies, all young. The gate fell on children. The passing vehicles didn’t even pay attention to people exiting; a small child was even violently run over,” said Moriba Haba, a 16-year-old secondary school student involved in the crush, told Reuters.
“I was very scared. I have never witnessed things like this … I saw children crying, screaming their mothers’ names. I was saddened but I didn’t have the strength to help them.”
Siba Alain Loua, a 17-year-old speaking from a hospital bed, said he fell when the panic started but managed to stand up.
“There were several deaths on the spot,” he said.
“My friends helped me get home last night. This morning we came to the hospital for treatment.”
The crush was triggered by a disputed red card in the 82nd minute of the match. Fans threw stones, sparking violence, the government said in a statement promising an investigation.
“The tragedy is immense – it’s overwhelming and I’m at a loss for words,” said Kolie Pepe, a Nzerekore resident who lost a sister.
“Honestly, the organisation was not good… Everything should have been well prepared at the military camp for good security at the event.”
(Writing by Portia Crowe; Editing by Anait Miridzhanian, editing by Ed Osmond)
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