Children amongst 31 killed at church fair stampede in Nigeria

ABUJA, Nigeria -- A stampede Saturday at a church charity occasion in southern Nigeria left 31 folks lifeless and seven injured, police informed The Associated Press, a shocking improvement at a program that aimed to supply hope to the needy. One witness said the useless included a pregnant girl and lots of children.

The stampede on the occasion organized by the Kings Assembly Pentecostal church in Rivers state concerned people who came to the church’s annual “Shop for Free” charity program, in keeping with Grace Iringe-Koko, a police spokeswoman.

Such occasions are widespread in Nigeria, Africa’s largest economy, where greater than 80 million folks live in poverty, according to government statistics.

Saturday’s charity program was supposed to begin at 9 a.m. but dozens arrived as early as 5 a.m. to safe their place in line, Iringe-Koko said. In some way the locked gate was broken open, making a stampede, she mentioned.

Godwin Tepikor from Nigeria’s National Emergency Administration Agency mentioned first responders had been in a position to evacuate the bodies of those trampled to death and convey them to the morgue. Security forces cordoned off the area.

Dozens of residents later thronged the scene, mourning the dead and providing any assistance they may to emergency staff. Medical doctors and emergency workers treated a number of the injured as they lay in the open subject. Videos from the scene showed the clothing, footwear and different gadgets meant for the beneficiaries.

One witness who only recognized himself as Daniel said "there have been so many youngsters” among the many lifeless. 5 of the lifeless children have been from one mother, he instructed the AP, adding that a pregnant lady also misplaced her life.

Some church members had been attacked and injured by relations of the victims after the stampede, in accordance with witness Christopher Eze. The church declined to touch upon the situation.

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

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

Nigeria has seen related stampedes previously.

Twenty-four people died at an overcrowded church gathering in the southeastern state of Anambra in 2013, whereas not less than 16 people had been killed in 2014 when a crowd got uncontrolled during a screening for presidency jobs in the nation's capital, Abuja.

—

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