Eight deaths has been reported and many injured in a big crush that happened outside Paul Bita Stadium during the ongoing Africa Cup of Nations in Cameroon. A big number of people lost consciousness according to the BBC.

Match officials were quoted as saying that some 50,000 people were trying to attend. Children were among those caught up in the crush, according to witnesses at the stadium. It happened, according to witnesses, when stadium officials closed the gates and refused to let people in.

At least 40 people were hurt in the stampede, according to officials at the neighboring Messassi hospital. All injured people at the stadium had left for the hospital by 12:15 a.m. local time.

The Africa Cup of Nations is organized by the Confederation of African Football, which confirmed it was aware of the occurrence in a statement.

"CAF is presently examining the incident and attempting to obtain additional information," it stated. "We're in close contact with the government of Cameroon and the Local Organizing Committee."

For the first time in 50 years, Cameroon is hosting the Africa Cup of Nations. The tournament was supposed to be held in Cameroon in 2019, but it was moved to Egypt that year due to major worries about Cameroon's preparations, particularly the stadiums' condition.