Kamogelo Olaitan
More than 30 people were killed in Port Harcourt, southern Nigeria during an overcrowded church charity event where food was being distributed.
Among the deceased were children and many were injured when dozens of people flocked to the church as early as 5am on Saturday even though the event was scheduled to start at 9am.
River State police told Associated Press that a local church organisation was offering food and gifts for the poor at the local Port Harcourt Polo Club when a crowd got out of control and started stamping each other trying to get to the food.
“The crowd became uncontrollable and all efforts made by the organisers to bring sanity proved futile. A total of 31 people lost their lives in the stampede,” the police said in a statement.
Police said the injured were receiving treatment at local hospitals and that a criminal investigation was underway.
Port Harcourt, the biggest city in River State, is the main oil hub in Nigeria, Africa’s most populous country and one of the continent’s largest petroleum producers.
Nigeria has seen several stampede tragedies over food distribution in recent years, including an aid agency food programme in north Borno State where seven women were trampled to death last year.
In 2013 twenty-four people died at an overcrowded church gathering in the Anambra state while 16 people were killed in 2014 when a crowd got out of control during a screening for government jobs in Abuja.
Representatives of the church could not immediately be contacted for comment.
Image source: @BunaTime
