Human rights groups: Death toll from Guinea stadium stampede now 135 — including children

Human rights groups in Guinea say at least 135 people died from the stampede that happened at a football stadium in Nzerekore.  

On Sunday, the final of a local football competition turned violent after rival fans invaded the pitch in protest of the referee’s penalty decision.

Police attempted to curtail and disperse the pitch invaders with teargas, and a stampede ensued.

The government announced that only 56 people died from the mayhem.

However, human rights groups in the country claimed that the number of casualties exceeds the official figure.

According to BBC, the coalition added children were among the dead, and more than 50 other people are still missing.

The groups claimed that the estimation was based on information from hospitals, cemeteries, witnesses at the stadium, families of victims, mosques, churches and the local media.

When enquired about the actual figures of the victims, Ousmane Gaoual, a government spokesperson, demanded respect for the families that had lost loved ones in the stampede.

He added that the government “didn’t say that these are final figures”.

Also, Yaya Kaïraba Kaba, the country’s justice minister, threatened to arrest and prosecute anyone sharing “unverified or malicious information” about the incident and the victim figures.

He added that a judicial inquiry has been opened to investigate the stadium stampede and punish the culprits.