135 people were killed in a football stampede in Guinea, human rights groups said

At least 135 people died in a football stadium incident in southeastern Guinea on Sunday, a human rights group said, with the death toll estimated at double the official death toll of 56.

The referee's questionable decision led to violence between the crowd and the firing of tear gas at the police during the match in the town of Nzerekore, leading to a deadly incident as spectators tried to escape.

A group of human rights organizations in Nzerekore region said on Tuesday that the high estimate was based on information from the hospital, the cemetery, witnesses at the stadium, victims' families, mosques, churches and local media.

The dead 'mostly were children': rights groups

“We now estimate that 135 people died in the stadium, most of them children under the age of 18,” he said in a statement, adding that more than 50 people are still missing.

The group accused security forces of using excessive tear gas and prioritizing the protection of officials over spectators.

It also said that the cars carrying the officials and others fleeing the arena hit the audience when they tried to escape from the area which it described as a place full of people whose gate was blocked by security guards.

It said it has taken the role of the organizers of the tournament as well as the ruling party of Guinea, as they are providing technical and financial support for the event in honor of the military leader Mamady Doumbouya.

The government, which promised on Monday that it will start an investigation, has not yet responded to the group's statement.