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 lifeless and 7 injured, police informed The Associated Press, a surprising improvement at a program that aimed to supply hope to the needy. One witness said the lifeless included a pregnant lady and lots of kids.

The stampede at 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 events are widespread in Nigeria, Africa’s largest economy, where more than 80 million folks 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 mentioned. By some means the locked gate was damaged open, making a stampede, she mentioned.

Godwin Tepikor from Nigeria’s Nationwide Emergency Management Agency stated first responders had been in a position to evacuate the bodies of these trampled to dying and produce them to the morgue. Security forces cordoned off the area.

Dozens of residents later thronged the scene, mourning the dead and providing any help they could to emergency workers. Docs and emergency workers treated a number of the injured as they lay within the open subject. Videos from the scene showed the clothes, footwear and other items meant for the beneficiaries.

One witness who only identified himself as Daniel stated "there have been so many children” among the dead. 5 of the useless youngsters had been from one mom, he advised the AP, including that a pregnant woman additionally lost her life.

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

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

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

Nigeria has seen similar stampedes in the past.

Twenty-four individuals died at an overcrowded church gathering in the southeastern state of Anambra in 2013, while at the very least 16 individuals had been killed in 2014 when a crowd bought uncontrolled throughout a screening for government jobs within the nation's capital, Abuja.

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