Youngsters 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 useless and 7 injured, police advised The Related Press, a surprising growth at a program that aimed to offer hope to the needy. One witness stated the dead included a pregnant woman and many youngsters.

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 economic system, where more than 80 million people live 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 safe their place in line, Iringe-Koko mentioned. One way or the other the locked gate was damaged open, creating a stampede, she said.

Godwin Tepikor from Nigeria’s National Emergency Management Agency said first responders were able to evacuate the bodies of these trampled to dying and bring them to the morgue. Safety forces cordoned off the realm.

Dozens of residents later thronged the scene, mourning the lifeless and providing any help they might to emergency staff. Docs and emergency employees handled some of the injured as they lay in the open area. Movies from the scene showed the clothing, footwear and other items meant for the beneficiaries.

One witness who only recognized himself as Daniel said "there were so many youngsters” among the many dead. 5 of the dead children were from one mother, he informed the AP, adding that a pregnant woman additionally misplaced her life.

Some church members have been attacked and injured by family of the victims after the stampede, in accordance with witness Christopher Eze. The church declined to comment on the scenario.

The police spokeswoman stated the seven injured were “responding to remedy."

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

Nigeria has seen comparable stampedes previously.

Twenty-four folks died at an overcrowded church gathering within the southeastern state of Anambra in 2013, whereas a minimum of 16 individuals had been killed in 2014 when a crowd bought uncontrolled during a screening for presidency jobs in the nation's capital, Abuja.

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