There were conflicting reports about the death toll, but the Commissioner of Police in the state, Mr Hafiz Inuwa, confirmed that seven persons died while 11 others are currently hospitalised at the University of Calabar Teaching Hospital.
The incident happened at around 9.30pm at Nyagasang area of Atimbo in Calabar municipality local government area of the state while football lovers were watching a UEFA Europa League match between Manchester United and Anderlecht.
Ita-Giwa said she received the news of the tragic incident with shock, adding that the incident was pathetic because the deceased left behind their loved ones.
According to her, sport was one of the activities that keeps the youths off crime, adding that “some youths are unemployed; there don’t have any form of relaxation, and it is sad to hear that they died while expressing their love for football.
“I am a mother, I feel pained on sighting the viewing centre because when you imagine that these lovely people died after paying N50 to watch a single game is very pathetic.
“We are going to take a tour of most of the communities to ensure that viewing centres are far from high tension cables because we can’t take away football from the youths.
“As a way to commiserate with the deceased and victims of the incident, I will build a standard viewing centre for the youths of this community.’’
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