31 killed in a stampede
The Canadian Press – May 28, 2022 / 10:45 | History: 370251
Photo: Google Maps
A stampede at a church charity event in southern Nigeria on Saturday left 31 people dead and seven injured, police told The Associated Press, a shocking development of a program the organizers said was aimed at “offer hope” to the needy.
The stampede on the program organized by the Pentecostal Church of the Assembly of Kings in Rivers State involved many people seeking help, according to Grace Iringe-Koko, a spokeswoman for police in the state.
Many of the victims attended an annual charity program “Shop for Free” organized by the church. These events are common in Nigeria, Africa’s largest economy, where more than 80 million people live in poverty, according to government statistics.
Saturday’s charity program was scheduled to begin at 9 a.m., but dozens arrived as early as 5 a.m. to secure their place in the queue, Iringe-Koko said. Somehow they broke down the closed door, he said, adding that the seven injured were “responding to treatment.”
Videos from the scene showed clothing, shoes and other items intended for the beneficiaries. Doctors and emergency workers attended to some of the injured while lying in the open field.
The “Shop for Free” event was suspended while authorities investigated how the stampede occurred.