Children 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 useless and 7 injured, police told The Related Press, a surprising growth at a program that aimed to supply hope to the needy. One witness stated the useless included a pregnant lady and many kids.

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

Such occasions are common in Nigeria, Africa’s largest financial system, the place more than 80 million folks reside in poverty, in line with 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. Somehow the locked gate was broken open, making a stampede, she mentioned.

Godwin Tepikor from Nigeria’s Nationwide Emergency Administration Agency stated first responders were able to evacuate the bodies of those trampled to death and produce them to the morgue. Safety forces cordoned off the area.

Dozens of residents later thronged the scene, mourning the dead and offering any assistance they may to emergency staff. Doctors and emergency workers treated some of the injured as they lay in the open field. Movies from the scene confirmed the clothing, sneakers and other gadgets meant for the beneficiaries.

One witness who only identified himself as Daniel stated "there were so many children” among the many dead. 5 of the useless children have been from one mom, he informed the AP, adding that a pregnant girl additionally misplaced her life.

Some church members have been attacked and injured by relations of the victims after the stampede, according to witness Christopher Eze. The church declined to comment on the situation.

The police spokeswoman stated the seven injured have been “responding to treatment."

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

Nigeria has seen comparable stampedes prior to now.

Twenty-four folks died at an overcrowded church gathering within the southeastern state of Anambra in 2013, whereas a minimum of 16 people were killed in 2014 when a crowd got uncontrolled 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.