Children among 31 killed at church honest stampede in Nigeria

ABUJA, Nigeria -- A stampede Saturday at a church charity occasion in southern Nigeria left 31 people dead and 7 injured, police advised The Associated Press, a surprising development at a program that aimed to offer hope to the needy. One witness stated the dead included a pregnant girl and lots of kids.

The stampede on the event 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 line with Grace Iringe-Koko, a police spokeswoman.

Such occasions are widespread in Nigeria, Africa’s largest economy, the place greater than 80 million individuals dwell in poverty, based on authorities statistics.

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

Godwin Tepikor from Nigeria’s National Emergency Administration Company said first responders have been capable of evacuate the bodies of these trampled to loss of life and convey them to the morgue. Safety forces cordoned off the area.

Dozens of residents later thronged the scene, mourning the dead and providing any assistance they may to emergency workers. Medical doctors and emergency staff handled a few of the injured as they lay in the open discipline. Videos from the scene showed the clothing, shoes and other items meant for the beneficiaries.

One witness who solely recognized himself as Daniel mentioned "there were so many kids” among the many lifeless. Five of the lifeless kids have been from one mom, he advised the AP, including that a pregnant girl additionally misplaced her life.

Some church members have been attacked and injured by relatives of the victims after the stampede, according to witness Christopher Eze. The church declined to touch upon the state of affairs.

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

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

Nigeria has seen similar stampedes up to now.

Twenty-four individuals died at an overcrowded church gathering in the southeastern state of Anambra in 2013, whereas no less than 16 folks had been killed in 2014 when a crowd received 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.