Inside the stadium disaster in Cameroon

YAOUNDE, Cameroon — When I left my apartment in Mfandena on Monday morning to cover another day of Africa Cup of Nations action, I knew the heat would be hard to deal with. I knew there would be vibrancy. And I knew there would be ever-present drama.

But I had no idea of the things I would see and the terrified voices I would hear by the time I returned home over 13 hours later, following the most harrowing day in the tournament’s history that left at least eight people dead.

The match between Cameroon and Comoros had continued in front of us in the press box while ambulances carried dozens of people to hospital, all of us inside unaware and insulated, focused on the pitch. The game, which the hosts won, was never called off or even paused despite the ongoing tragedy outside.

The main story when the day began, and indeed one of the most compelling stories in AFCON history, was the confusion and contradiction surrounding the status of the Comoros goalkeepers.

Would the tiny islanders — ranked 132nd in the world, playing in their first Nations Cup — really take on hosts Cameroon without a recognised stopper? If an outfield player had to start in goal, who would it be? How will he manage?

It’s a testament to the horrifying scenes that unfolded as the night wore on that the spectacle on the field — Cameroon’s toil, Chaker Alhadhur’s heroics in goal, Nadjim Abdou’s controversial early red card — all feel like a footnote to the darkest day in Nations Cup history.

During the tail end of the match, rife with engrossing storylines, the true details of the crush outside, those who had lost their lives, and those who were still fighting for theirs, only dripped through via unconfirmed Twitter murmurings.