A stampede at a church charity event in Nigeria has left at least 31 people dead and others injured.
Reuters reports that hundreds of people had gathered to get food at the charity event on Saturday. After arriving early, some people destroyed a gate in order to access the food, resulting in the stampede.
CNN writes that according to Grace Woyengikuro Iringe-Koko, a state police spokeswoman, “the crowd forced their way into the venue, despite the fact that the gate was closed.”
“People were there earlier and some got impatient and started rushing, which led to stampeding. The police are on the ground monitoring the situation while the investigation is on going,” Iringe-Koko said. The incident happened in the southern Rivers state, in the city of Port Harcourt.
Authorities say that most of the victims were children. The gift donation drive took place at a local polo club, which was being hosted by the Kings Assembly Church. “During the process of distributing the gift items, there was a stampede due to overcrowding,” Olufemi Ayodele, a regional spokesman for Nigeria’s Civil Defense Corps, said. “Casualties were children mostly.”
Iringe-Koko said that seven people were wounded and transported to a local hospital following the stampede.
