Nzérékoré Stadium Crush — Incident Report
Football Stadium · Crowd Crush · Guinea

Nzérékoré StadiumCrush

A structured incident summary covering the fatal crowd crush at the Stade du 3 Avril in Nzérékoré, Guinea, including the official toll, later rights-group figures, source conflicts and unresolved details.

Date1 Dec 2024
LocationNzérékoré, Guinea
Official Toll56 dead
Later Inquiry140 dead
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Incident Overview

What happened

On 1 December 2024, a fatal crowd crush occurred during the final of a football tournament in Nzérékoré, Guinea.

The match involved teams from Labé and Nzérékoré. A disputed refereeing decision in the 82nd minute triggered crowd violence, including stone-throwing and supporters moving toward the pitch.

Sources report that security forces used tear gas. Spectators then rushed toward the exits and many victims were crushed at or near the gates.

The incident is commonly described as the Nzérékoré stadium crush, Stade du 3 Avril tragedy or Guinea football stadium crush.

Location and Naming

Stade du 3 Avril

Venue: The clearest official wording is stade du 3 avril or stade du 03 avril in Nzérékoré.

Other wording: Some early local sources described the site as the stade préfectoral or stade régional of Nzérékoré.

City and country: Nzérékoré, Guinea.

Cause summary: Disputed refereeing decision, crowd violence, tear gas use and exit pressure are the main source-supported sequence points.

View disputed details →

Reported Tolls

Casualty figures remain contested

The incident has no single settled public casualty count. The figures below separate the official provisional toll from later local rights-collective and inquiry figures.

56
Government provisional deaths
135
Rights collective estimate
140
Later final inquiry deaths
11
Later inquiry missing figure

Chronology

Incident timeline

1 December 2024
A football tournament final took place in Nzérékoré between teams from Labé and Nzérékoré.
82nd minute
Reuters reported that a disputed red card or refereeing decision triggered anger in the crowd.
Crowd disorder
Supporters threw stones and some reports describe rival fans storming or invading the pitch.
Security-force response
Multiple sources report the use of tear gas after the crowd violence escalated.
Exit rush and crush
Spectators rushed for the exits. AP reported many victims were crushed at the gates.
December 2024 to February 2025
The government reported 56 deaths, while local rights groups later reported 135 deaths, then 140 deaths and 11 missing in a final inquiry relayed by Guinean outlets.

Reported Outcomes

Key details

⚽
Football final
The incident occurred during the final of a tournament involving Labé and Nzérékoré.
🟥
Disputed decision
A controversial refereeing decision in the 82nd minute is widely reported as the trigger.
🪨
Stone throwing
Reuters, AP and other sources describe supporters throwing stones before the crush.
💨
Tear gas
Security-force tear gas use is reported by several sources and criticised by rights groups.
🚪
Exit pressure
Spectators rushing toward exits caused deadly pressure at or near gates.
❓
Unsettled toll
Fatality, missing-person and injury totals are not accepted consistently across sources.
⚠️ Evidence handling noteThe official death toll and later rights-group figures differ sharply. This report keeps the figures separate rather than pretending the record is cleaner than it is.

Incident Factors

Crowd risk points

82nd
Minute of reported trigger
50+
Early missing estimate
47
Injured in one verified list
13–15
Child ages cited locally

Disputed Details

Conflicting information

The source material contains major conflicts around deaths, missing-person figures, injuries and venue wording.

Disputed Detail
Fatality count

Reports do not agree on how many people died.

Government / Reuters / AP

56 dead.

Nzérékoré rights collective / Reuters

135 dead and more than 50 missing.

The 56 figure is the provisional official toll. The 135 figure came from a local human-rights collective using its own collection method.

Disputed Detail
Later fatality and missing count

Later inquiry reporting changed the relationship between death and missing-person figures.

3 December collective figure

135 dead and about 50 missing.

February 2025 final inquiry

140 dead and 11 missing, as relayed by several Guinean outlets.

The later figures were presented as the result of a longer field inquiry and differ from the earlier declaration.

Disputed Detail
Injury count

Injuries are confirmed, but the public record does not provide one settled total.

Official / international reporting

Several injured, several seriously injured or many injured, without one settled figure.

Guinee360 February 2025 inquiry report

47 injured within one verified list, while noting that some injuries were hard to count because many people did not pass through hospital.

Injury totals remain unsettled in the reviewed sources.

Disputed Detail
Venue wording

The venue is described with different names across sources.

Official and later reports

stade du 3 avril / stade du 03 avril.

Some early local reports

stade préfectoral or stade régional.

These appear to refer to the same Nzérékoré stadium, but the wording varies by source.

Not Verified

Unresolved details

The following points were not verified as single, source-agreed facts in the material reviewed.

Injuries
Exact official final injury total.
Fatalities
Exact final death toll accepted by all parties.
Missing persons
A single unanimously accepted number of missing persons.
Street address
Street address or more precise site reference beyond the stadium name and city.
Incident name
The user’s intended incident name, because none was supplied.

Source Material

References

News, website, institutional and source-sweep notes used for this incident summary.

01
Saliou Samb and Bate Felix / Reuters · News Articles
Guinea stadium crush kills 56 people after disputed refereeing decision
2 December 2024
Reuters reported a provisional official toll of 56 deaths after a disputed red card in the 82nd minute sparked stone-throwing, tear gas use, and a crush at the exits in Nzérékoré.
Visit Source →
02
Reuters · News Articles
Guinea rights groups say 135 killed in stadium crush
3 December 2024
Reuters reported that a collective of human rights organisations in Nzérékoré estimated 135 deaths and more than 50 missing, based on information from hospitals, cemeteries, witnesses, families, mosques, churches, and local press.
Visit Source →
03
Associated Press · News Articles
Panic among spectators at soccer game kills at least 56 in the West African nation of Guinea
2 December 2024
AP reported at least 56 deaths, said many victims were crushed at the gates, and cited a local sports journalist and local reporting that tear gas was used after supporters threw stones. AP also stated the final involved Labé and Nzérékoré and was held at the “Third of April” stadium.
Visit Source →
04
Al Jazeera · News Articles
Dozens dead after stampede breaks out at Guinea football match
2 December 2024
Al Jazeera reported at least 56 killed in Nzérékoré after rival fans stormed the pitch following a controversial referee decision.
Visit Source →
05
Al Jazeera · News Articles
Guinea rights groups say death toll in stadium stampede too low
4 December 2024
Al Jazeera reported that local rights groups challenged the government’s 56-death toll and said the police used tear gas after crowd violence in Nzérékoré.
Visit Source →
06
The Guardian · News Articles
At least 56 people killed in crush at Guinea football stadium
2 December 2024
The Guardian reported at least 56 dead and dozens injured at the Stade du 3 Avril in Nzérékoré after supporters invaded the pitch and security forces used tear gas.
Visit Source →
07
Victor Avendaño / Le Monde · News Articles
En Guinée, un mois après la bousculade meurtrière de N’Zérékoré, flou sur le nombre de victimes et reproches aux autorités
1 January 2025
Le Monde reported the official toll remained 56 while a local rights collective stated 135 deaths, most of them minors, and criticised the use of tear gas, blocked exits, and lack of transparency.
Visit Source →
08
FOOT 224 · News Articles
N’Zérékoré : la finale d’un tournoi de football fait plusieurs morts et blessés
1 December 2024
Early local report that a tragedy occurred during the tournament final in Nzérékoré, with multiple deaths and injuries reported the same day.
Visit Source →
09
Guinee7 · News Articles
Un match de la “refondation” tourne au drame à Nzérékoré, plusieurs morts signalés
1 December 2024
Early local report that the incident sent multiple injured people to the regional hospital and that some were in very serious condition.
Visit Source →
10
Guinee Quotidien · News Articles
N’Zérékoré : plusieurs morts et des blessés dans une bousculade au stade préfectural de la localité
1 December 2024
Early local report describing the venue as the “stade préfectoral” and reporting several deaths, including children aged 13 to 15, and multiple serious injuries.
Visit Source →
11
Présidence de la République de Guinée · Website Articles
Tragédie au Stade du 3 Avril de N’Zérékoré : Le Président de la République dépêche une délégation gouvernementale pour présenter ses condoléances
3 December 2024
Official presidency statement confirming the incident followed the final of a football tournament at the stade du 3 avril in Nzérékoré and referring to deaths and several serious injuries.
Visit Source →
12
Amnesty International · Website Articles
Guinée. Les autorités doivent mener une enquête indépendante et impartiale sur les incidents dramatiques survenus au stade de Nzérékoré et le comportement des forces de l’ordre
12 December 2024
Amnesty said the government reported a provisional toll of 56 deaths, while local rights groups on 3 December estimated 135 deaths and around 50 missing, and called for an independent investigation into the incident and police conduct.
Visit Source →
13
Amnesty International · Website Articles
Guinea: Authorities must carry out an independent and impartial investigation into the dramatic incident at the Nzérékoré stadium and the security forces’ behaviour
13 December 2024
English-language version of Amnesty’s statement calling for an independent inquiry into the causes of the deaths and the behaviour of security forces.
Visit Source →
14
Mediaguinee · Website Articles
Enquête sur la tragédie de N’zérékoré : 140 morts, 11 disparus et de nombreux blessés (rapport)
15 February 2025
Mediaguinee reported the final inquiry by a collective of rights organisations in Nzérékoré, stating 140 confirmed deaths, 11 missing, and many injured.
Visit Source →
15
LeGuideinfo.net · Website Articles
Tragédie de N’zérékoré : voici les nouveaux éléments sur le drame (rapport d’enquête)
14 February 2025
This report reproduction states the final inquiry found 140 dead, 11 missing, serious injuries, and material damage; it also reproduces that the earlier 3 December collective declaration had estimated 135 dead and about 50 missing.
Visit Source →
16
Actu Guinée · Website Articles
Drame au stade de N’zérékoré : 140 morts et des violations des droits humains selon le rapport final
15 February 2025
Actu Guinée reported the same final inquiry figure of 140 dead, 11 missing, and dozens injured, and said the report called for justice and reparations.
Visit Source →
17
Guinee360 · Website Articles
Tragédie de N'Zérékoré : l'ONG Avocats Sans Frontières dénombre 140 morts
14 February 2025
Guinee360 reported that a list-based inquiry initially counted 238 victims overall, then after field verification counted 140 deaths, 47 injured, and 11 missing; the article also notes the difficulty of fully counting the injured because many did not pass through hospital.
Visit Source →
18
AfricaGuinee · Website Articles
Bousculade meurtrière à Nzérékoré : Un collectif d’avocats tire la sonnette d’alarme sur le cas d’un lycéen blessé au stade…
20 January 2025
AfricaGuinee reported that several seriously injured victims were evacuated to Conakry by a special flight and described one identified injured survivor’s medical condition.
Visit Source →
19
Mediaguinee · Website Articles
Drame de N’zérékoré : “135 morts, 50 disparus et blessés”
December 2024
Search preview indicates Mediaguinee relayed the 135 dead / 50 missing / injured claim attributed to human rights organisations after the event. I could not fully open this page in the browser tool, so treat it as relevant but not independently line-verified beyond the search preview.
Visit Source →
20
Guinee360 · Website Articles
Drame à Nzérékoré : les Forces vives de Guinée font état d’une centaine de morts
3 December 2024
Guinee360 reported that opposition-linked Forces vives de Guinée claimed about 100 deaths and many serious injuries, differing from both the official and rights-group tallies.
Visit Source →
21
Research note · Magazine Articles
No verified magazine-format sources found
Source sweep note
No verified magazine-format sources were found that added incident facts beyond the news and website sources listed.
Source note only
22
Research note · Social Media Posts
No independently verified social media post relied upon
Source sweep note
Search traces of Facebook and Instagram posts were found, but they were not relied upon because their contents could not be verified to the same standard as the listed sources.
Source note only
23
Research note · Academic Papers
No academic papers verified
Source sweep note
No academic papers focused on this specific incident were verified in the source sweep.
Source note only

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