Ahead of official findings, on-the-ground accounts of the
"I saw death."
Marie Therese Asongafack says this repeatedly as she recounts her experience at the Olembé Stadium in
The Cameroonian government called on citizens two days later to help identify an eight-month-old baby who survived and find her family. The youngest victim is reportedly a six-year-old boy.
The stampede occurred during the Indomitable Lions' 2-1 win over
Asongafack found herself out in front of the stampede, with people on the ground being trampled. She says "the security guys in that frenzy didn't begin assisting to pull people out". Spectators who had entered the stadium earlier tried to pull them out, pleading with those pushing forward to stop, "but with the force from behind, no one truly had any control of their movements".
The loss of life put a further damper on the event. It had already faced delays because of Covid-19, questions about
"I felt guys pulling at my hair. Luckily I had a wig on, [otherwise] they would have pulled out my scalp. I was beginning not to feel my right leg, but thank God I got pulled out before any real damage," says Asongafack. One of the friends she went to the game with has a slight ankle injury and his vision was blurry for more than 20 minutes after they were pulled out of the stampede. Another is in hospital with a trampled ankle.
"I knew that if my hands touched the ground, it would be over for me. I saw a child less than 10 years old lifeless, guys were trying to revive him. Medical aid wasn't immediately available, people were just trying basic first aid on victims."
A confluence of events
"Thousands of people, more than what was expected, arrived. I saw one lady and a good number of women this morning. She came with her small son, and two others came with very young children, and I am told some of the people came just to be part of the atmosphere, including those who didn't have tickets," Motsepe said.
Under Covid-19 restrictions, 80% of the stadium's capacity is used when the Indomitable Lions are in action and 60% when other nations are playing. Motsepe said "the gate was supposed to be open but it was closed. If it was open, people would have walked through, but it was closed. Who closed it?"
Liam Mwen, a spectator who was there during the stampede, says people wanting to use different entrances to those marked on their tickets exacerbated the situation. For international competitions such as the
He says people arrived late as there was traffic and some roads were blocked. "Access was really, really difficult. People came to the stadium without tickets and had access. Some of them scaled the fence."
No more games at Olembé
A crowd forced two gates open, he says, and he took a few steps back and let them in as he didn't want to end up in a situation where he was being pushed. "There was a lady who collapsed while we stood there. She couldn't breathe." They couldn't evacuate her because of the crowd and ended up having to pass her over the fence and into the stadium, and she fell.
Olembé Stadium - officially the
"I need, and CAF needs, a report on ... the circumstances that led to people being injured and those who lost their lives. There must be an immediate committee set up to find out what happened, who was supposed to do what and who did not perform their responsibilities. We want that report by Friday [28 January]," said Motsepe.
He added that the stadium would only be cleared for use after "absolute measures have been taken to make sure [the] remaining matches are played in an environment of primary focus on safety and health ... There is zero tolerance, absolutely zero tolerance, to circumstances resulting in people being injured at the stadium or people losing their lives."
Matches have been moved to the
'The family is inconsolable'
Véronique Dorothée Djilo, 41, is among those who died as a result of the stampede.
Djilo's niece Leoka Laure says her aunt died at the health centre, but would still be alive had rapid "treatment been initiated the moment she was brought there. Her friends say she was still breathing when they arrived."
Her family can't make funeral arrangements as the authorities say they need Djilo's body for their investigation. "We want to bury her ... because the more the corpse is there, more and more people wail. The family is inconsolable," says Laure.
Fifa president
"Government urges citizens to be more responsible, disciplined and exhibit good civic behaviour for the success of this big sports celebration. At the same time, government will continue to take necessary measures to this effect," said Minister of Communication
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