Lagos (Nigeria): At least 31 people were killed and seven others injured when a stampede broke out during a church event in the southeast Nigerian city of Port Harcourt on Saturday. CNN gave this information quoting police and security officials. Hundreds of people who came to the church to take food in the early hours of Saturday broke the gate, leading to a stampede. Most of the people who died in the incident were children.
According to Olufemi Ayodele, a regional spokesman for Nigeria’s Civil Defense Corps, the tragic incident took place at a local polo club, where the nearby King’s Assembly Church had organized a gift donation drive. CNN quoted him as saying, “During the process of distributing the gift items, there was a stampede due to the overcrowding. Most of the casualties were children.”
‘Mob tried to enter the venue despite the gate being closed’
CNN quoted state police spokeswoman Grace Woengikuro Iringe-Koko as saying that the gift-giving process had not even started when the stampede happened. Woyengikuro Iringe-Koko said the crowd forcibly entered the venue even though the gates were closed, leading to a stampede. Voyengikuro Iringe-Koko said, “31 people have been confirmed dead. Seven injured have been admitted to the hospital after the incident.”
