The Cameroon government released a statement on Tuesday on the stampede that took place at the Paul Biya Stadium in Yaounde, Cameroon, during an Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) game between Cameroon and Comoros on Monday night.

The stampede took place ahead of the Round of 16 tie, which ended 2-1 in Cameroon’s favour, leaving eight dead, including a child, and 38 injured in its wake.

“The deceased were taken to the Yaoundé Emergency Centre for the appropriate formalities, and the injured were distributed to four health facilities in the city of Yaoundé, where they were immediately taken care of on very high instructions from [President] Paul Biya,” said the government.

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“Faced with this tragedy, the gravity of which arouses emotion and consternation, the head of state sends his most saddened condolences to the hard-hit families, as well as his wishes for a speedy recovery to the injured, to which he associated the deep compassion of the entire nation,” the statement added.

The tragic incident mars the growing excitement around the tournament, which of late has been sparked to life by upsets and surprise exits.

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People who experienced the harrowing incident told Reuters that the gate attendees got overwhelmed by the mass of people who had gathered to get their tickets checked, and the ensuing chaos resulted in a stampede. NationalWorld, meanwhile, reported that the chaos ensued when authorities demanded COVID-19 vaccination certificate from fans, a section of whom unvaccinated.

The government has not yet attributed a cause to the stampede, nor has it clarified whether fans were allowed into the stadium without tickets. It is also unclear why the game was allowed to go ahead despite the the stampede.

The CAF has come under scrutiny of late for its apparent lack of preparation for the tournament. Even the Paul Biya Stadium, where the stampede took place, remained under construction until the start of the tournament, prompting the CAF to consider cancelling the tournament altogether.