A total of 31 people died in the stampede, police said. (Representative)
Abuja, Nigeria:
More than 30 people were killed on Saturday in southern Nigeria after a stampede broke out during a crowded church charity event where food was being distributed.
Police and eyewitnesses said that shoes and slippers were scattered on the ground when people tried to forcibly enter after the disaster in the southern river state’s Port Harcourt town.
River State Police said a local King’s Assembly church organization was delivering food and gifts to the poor at the Port Harcourt Polo Club when a “huge” crowd spiraled out of control.
“Unfortunately, the crowd became restless and uncontrollable, and all efforts by the organizers to bring in prudence proved fruitless,” police said in a statement.
“A total of 31 people lost their lives in the stampede.”
Photos posted on social media and verified by AFP showed families crying and caring for wounded people, many of them children, outside the city’s military hospital.
Witnesses described frantic pushing and trampling as people trying to get into the entrance were forced to turn back.
“They were telling people ‘Go back, go back, go back,'” said witness Chisom Nwachuku. “Some people who were pushing from behind were walking on them.”
Police said that criminal investigation is going on.
National Emergency Management Agency southern region coordinator Godwin Tapicor said church members were sitting inside when the crowds came in.
“A huge crowd from outside entered the club through a narrow gate, resulting in a stampede,” he said.
Church representatives could not immediately be contacted for comment.
Nigeria has seen several stampede tragedies over food distribution in recent years, including an aid agency food program in northern Borno state, where seven women were crushed to death last year.
Disaster struck early Saturday as leaders of the opposition People’s Democratic Party gathered in the federal capital of Abuja to select their candidate for the 2023 presidential race, with River State Governor Azenwo Nyasom Wike among the hopes.
Port Harcourt is the main oil center in Nigeria, Africa’s most populous country and the continent’s largest petroleum producer.
Despite their oil wealth, four out of 10 Nigerians live below the national poverty level, according to a recent World Bank report.
The Ukraine crisis has also raised food and fuel costs across the continent as wheat and gas supplies have been hit, aid agencies have warned of worsening food insecurity in Africa.
(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)