Kids among 31 killed at church honest stampede in Nigeria

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

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

Such events are widespread in Nigeria, Africa’s largest financial system, where greater than 80 million individuals stay in poverty, in accordance with 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. Someway the locked gate was damaged open, making a stampede, she mentioned.

Godwin Tepikor from Nigeria’s Nationwide Emergency Administration Agency stated first responders have been capable of evacuate the our bodies of those trampled to death and produce them to the morgue. Security forces cordoned off the realm.

Dozens of residents later thronged the scene, mourning the useless and offering any assistance they could to emergency staff. Docs and emergency staff handled among the injured as they lay in the open field. Movies from the scene confirmed the clothes, footwear and other items meant for the beneficiaries.

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

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

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

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

Nigeria has seen related stampedes previously.

Twenty-four people died at an overcrowded church gathering within the southeastern state of Anambra in 2013, while at least 16 people were killed in 2014 when a crowd received uncontrolled throughout a screening for presidency jobs within the nation's capital, Abuja.

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