Football Tragedy: Over 30 Fans Dead While Watching Manchester United Vs. Anderlecht from Viewing Centre

It was a dreadful scene yesterday in Calabar, Cross Rivers State Nigeris as over 30 football fans, are feared dead at a viewing centre after being electrocuted by a high tension cable that reportedly fell on the viewing centre.

The fans came to watch the Uefa Europa League game between Manchester United and RSC Anderlecht.

The victims, who met their untimely death, were believed to be fans of Manchester United. Many more were also reported injured; the exact official figure of casualties still cannot be established.

Although the game ended in favour of the Red Devils, who won the match on a 3-2 aggregate, with Marcus Rashford goal in extra time, but the fans did not live to celebrate the victory.

A fan who survived the catastrophic incident said a transformer near the viewing centre located in the Iyang-Esu area of Calabar municipal local government area, exploded during the match and that was what resulted into a high-tension cable falling on the viewing centre.

“It happened during the match between Manchester United and Anderlecht. I heard a deafening bang. I rushed out to see what was happening,” he said.

“When I turned back to go inside the viewing centre, I saw a cable coming down on the centre and this electrocuted the viewers in the hall.

The fan who wish he didn’t come out to watch the game added that he has a DStv decoder at home but prefer to watch from a viewing centre:

“It was a horrible sight to behold. I wish I didn’t come out to watch the match. Come to think of it, I have DStv at home but I enjoy watching matches at viewing centres. I could have been dead. I can’t believe that the people I was chatting and joking with a few minutes ago are all gone in a most anguishing way. This world is vain.”