YAOUNDE,
Cameroon
A fire erupted at a popular nightclub in the Cameroon capital of Yaounde, setting off explosions that killed at least 17 people and seriously injured seven others, government officials said Sunday.
The
tragedy comes as the central African country hosts thousands of soccer players,
fans and officials from across the continent for the month-long African Cup of
Nations soccer tournament.
It
was not immediately clear what had sparked the fire at Liv’s Nightclub Yaouba
in the capital’s Bastos neighborhood. Workers there initially said it was
caused by a short circuit. However, a government statement later Sunday
suggested that fireworks had ignited the building’s roof, and then the fire
spread to areas where cooking gas was stored.
“The
tragedy, which was caused by the explosions from fireworks regularly used in
these places, first consumed the ceiling of the building and then caused two
strong explosions,” government spokesman Rene Emmanuel Sadi said.
The
government spokesman said authorities were still trying to determine the names
and nationalities of the dead and wounded. Eight people were taken to a Yaounde
hospital, one of whom later died. The others remained in intensive care late
Sunday.
In
a statement, Cameroonian President Paul Biya called for calm and assured
players and fans of their safety. His government later asked people to be
remain vigilant “in order to avoid the occurrence of this kind of disaster,
especially when our country is hosting a large-scale sporting event.”
The
African Cup features teams from 24 countries and began on Jan. 9. It is the
continent’s biggest soccer tournament and Cameroon is hosting for the first
time in 50 years. It was originally scheduled for 2021 but then was postponed
because of the coronavirus pandemic.
The
Cameroon team will play a round of 16 knockout game against Comoros in Yaounde
on Monday.
Yaounde
is the main host city and will stage another six games, including the final on
Feb. 6.
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