Youngsters amongst 31 killed at church fair stampede in Nigeria

ABUJA, Nigeria -- A stampede Saturday at a church charity event in southern Nigeria left 31 individuals lifeless and seven injured, police advised The Associated Press, a shocking improvement at a program that aimed to offer hope to the needy. One witness mentioned the lifeless included a pregnant woman and many children.

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

Such occasions are common in Nigeria, Africa’s largest economic system, the place greater than 80 million folks stay in poverty, based on authorities statistics.

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

Godwin Tepikor from Nigeria’s National Emergency Management Company stated first responders were able to evacuate the bodies of these trampled to loss of life and convey them to the morgue. Safety forces cordoned off the world.

Dozens of residents later thronged the scene, mourning the dead and providing any assistance they may to emergency staff. Medical doctors and emergency employees handled a number of the injured as they lay in the open field. Videos from the scene showed the clothes, footwear and different objects meant for the beneficiaries.

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

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

The police spokeswoman said the seven injured were “responding to treatment."

The “Store for Free” occasion 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 within the southeastern state of Anambra in 2013, whereas at the very least 16 people have been killed in 2014 when a crowd got uncontrolled throughout a screening for government jobs in the nation's capital, Abuja.

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