At least eight people are reported dead during a match between host nation Cameroon and Comoros at the African Cup of Nations.
Dozens of people have also sustained injuries in the crush outside the stadium.
Reports say crowds attempted to enter the Yaounde Olembe stadium to watch Cameroon beat Comoros 2-1 to qualify to the semi-finals.
The stadium has a capacity of 60,000 but because of Covid restrictions it was not meant to be more than 80% full.
Match officials were quoted as saying that some 50,000 people were trying to attend.
Video footage showed football fans struggling to get access to the Paul Biya stadium in a neighbourhood of the capital Yaounde.
One child is among the dead, according to a health ministry report obtained by the AFP news agency.
Six people are reported to have been killed and dozens hurt in a crush outside a stadium hosting an Africa Cup of Nations match in Cameroon.
Video footage showed football fans struggling to get access to the Paul Biya stadium in a neighbourhood of the capital Yaounde. pic.twitter.com/a6WLbFZORj
— Charles Ayitey (@CharlesAyitey_) January 24, 2022
Another report said a number of children had lost consciousness.
Journalist Leocadia Bongben has told the BBC that she saw commotion coming from one of the “fan zone” areas outside the stadium.
“People started shouting. A minute after that an ambulance came to the stadium, but when we got to the place the police would not allow us to get close to where the stampede was. It is really quite a sad situation that people go to watch a game and they end up dying there”, she said.
The Confederation of African Football said it was “investigating the situation and trying to get more details on what transpired”.
In 2015, 40 people died when thousands of fans in Cairo attempted to enter a stadium in the Egyptian capital to watch a game, despite police firing tear gas.
In 2001, 43 people died in a stampede at Johannesburg’s Ellis Park stadium during a game between the Orlando Pirates and the Kaizer Chiefs.
Source: Africafeeds.com
