Youngsters among 31 killed at church fair stampede in Nigeria

ABUJA, Nigeria -- A stampede Saturday at a church charity event in southern Nigeria left 31 folks dead and seven injured, police advised The Associated Press, a shocking development at a program that aimed to supply hope to the needy. One witness stated the useless included a pregnant girl and plenty of youngsters.

The stampede at the occasion organized by the Kings Meeting Pentecostal church in Rivers state involved people who came to the church’s annual “Shop for Free” charity program, in response to Grace Iringe-Koko, a police spokeswoman.

Such events are widespread in Nigeria, Africa’s largest financial system, the place greater than 80 million people live in poverty, in response to authorities statistics.

Saturday’s charity program was supposed to begin at 9 a.m. but dozens arrived as early as 5 a.m. to secure their place in line, Iringe-Koko stated. By some means the locked gate was damaged open, making a stampede, she mentioned.

Godwin Tepikor from Nigeria’s National Emergency Administration Company mentioned first responders had been in a position to evacuate the our bodies of these trampled to loss of life and bring them to the morgue. Safety forces cordoned off the area.

Dozens of residents later thronged the scene, mourning the lifeless and offering any help they might to emergency workers. Docs and emergency employees treated some of the injured as they lay in the open field. Videos from the scene showed the clothes, shoes and other gadgets meant for the beneficiaries.

One witness who solely identified himself as Daniel stated "there were so many children” among the useless. Five of the lifeless youngsters were from one mom, he told the AP, including that a pregnant woman also misplaced her life.

Some church members had been attacked and injured by family members of the victims after the stampede, based on witness Christopher Eze. The church declined to comment on the scenario.

The police spokeswoman mentioned the seven injured had been “responding to remedy."

The “Shop for Free” event was suspended while authorities investigated how the stampede occurred.

Nigeria has seen related stampedes up to now.

Twenty-four folks died at an overcrowded church gathering in the southeastern state of Anambra in 2013, whereas not less than 16 folks have been killed in 2014 when a crowd acquired out of control during a screening for government jobs within the nation's capital, Abuja.

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Related Press journalist Hilary Uguru in Warri, Nigeria, contributed.