At least six people were killed in a stampede outside the Olembe Stadium in the Cameroon capital of Yaounde on Monday, just before the African Cup of Nations soccer game between the host country and Comoros. 

Officials said the stampede happened as crowds struggled to get access to watch the last 16 knockout game in Africa’s top soccer tournament.

Naseri Paul Biya, governor of the central region of Cameroon, said there could be more casualties.

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Meanwhile, officials at the nearby Messassi hospital told The Associated Press that they had received at least 40 injured people from the stampede.

“Some of the injured are in desperate condition,” said Olinga Prudence, a nurse. “We will have to evacuate them to a specialized hospital.”

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Videos doing the rounds on social media showed people lying motionless on their backs near an entrance to the stadium after the stampede. Shoes, caps and colorful wigs were seen strewn on the ground.

Witnesses said the stampede happened when stadium stewards closed the gates and stopped allowing people in.

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Soccer officials said around 50,000 people had tried to attend the match. The stadium has a capacity of 60,000 but it was not meant to be more than 80% full for the game due to restrictions on the size of the crowd because of the coronavirus pandemic.

The Confederation of African Football, which runs the African Cup, said in a statement it was investigating the incident. 

“CAF is currently investigating the situation and trying to get more details on what transpired. We are in constant communication with Cameroon government and the Local Organizing Committee,” it said.

With inputs from The Associated Press