More than 50 people die in a stampede during a soccer match in Guinea

(CNN) – A stampede at a soccer match in Guinea left at least 56 dead and many others injured, authorities said Monday.

Information Minister Fana Soumah said in a statement that the cause of the avalanche at a stadium in the southern city of Nzerekore was being investigated.

Videos spread on social media showed fans struggling to get out of the crowded stadium.

“The government deplores the incidents that marred the football match between the Labé and Nzérékoré teams this afternoon in Nzérékoré,” Prime Minister Bah Oury previously stated in a statement.

“The government is monitoring the evolution of the situation and reiterates its call for calm so that hospital services are not hindered in providing first aid to the injured,” declared Oury, who ordered city authorities to restore “social tranquility.”

Oury’s statement did not give an account of what happened inside the stadium, but said that a more detailed report would be prepared later.

Video geolocated by CNN showed fans scaling a wall as they tried to flee the Nzérékoré stadium in southeastern Guinea.

Mediaguinee said clashes between fans and security began over a series of refereeing decisions followed by a stampede as crowds tried to escape the stadium.

CNN has not been able to verify this information.

The local media Avenirguinee reported that the match was part of a tournament organized by the military junta that rules Guinea to support the candidacy of Mamady Doumbouya.

Doumbouya, who took power in a coup d’état in 2021 and it has been self-proclaimed presidentaspires to run in the presidential elections scheduled for 2025.

Doumbouya is one of several figures who have taken power in the unstable region since 2020.

West and Central Africa have seen at least eight coups since 2020, as political turmoil exacerbates fears of a drift toward military rule in a resource-rich but poverty-stricken region.