At least 56 people have died and dozens of others were injured in a crowd crush at a football stadium in southern Guinea, authorities in the west African state said.

The Stade du 3 Avril in Nzérékoré, the country’s second largest city, was hosting the final of a football tournament in honour of the leader of the country’s junta, Mamady Doumbouya, on Sunday afternoon. Local reports said thousands of spectators were present at the stadium and children were among the victims but did not give a definitive figure in either case.

Witnesses said a disputed red card was awarded by the referee to the home team of Nzérékoré in the 82nd minute of the match, leading to a penalty. Fans of the visiting Labé team invaded the pitch and threw stones, while security personnel reportedly responded by releasing teargas that enveloped the crowd, with many people running over each other in an attempt to escape.

A witness told Reuters by phone: “In the rush and scramble that followed [the teargas], I saw people fall to the ground, girls and children trampled underfoot. It was horrible.”

Guinea’s prime minister, Bah Oury, condemned the violence and urged calm in a post on X on Sunday. He said the government would release a statement once it had gathered all the information.

The former Guinean president Alpha Condé issued a criticism in a statement: “In a context where the country is already marked by tensions and restrictions, this tragedy highlights the dangers of irresponsible organisation.”

Stadium tragedies are not uncommon in Guinea. In 2009, more than 150 people were killed and dozens of women were raped by soldiers at a stadium in the country’s capital, Conakry, where more than 50,000 people were protesting against the then dictator Dadis Camara’s plan to run for president in democratic elections.

The National Alliance for Alternation and Democracy opposition coalition called for an investigation into Sunday’s incident. It said the tournament was organised to drum up support for Doumbouya’s “illegal and inappropriate” political ambitions.

The military leader came to power in 2021 after a coup deposed Condé, Guinea’s first democratically elected president, in the wake of a controversial third-term victory. Guinea is one of a number of countries in west and central Africa where military takeovers have caused political upheaval since 2020.

Doumbouya, who is believed to be considering a presidential run in next year’s election, dissolved 53 political parties in October.