Youngsters among 31 killed at church fair stampede in Nigeria

ABUJA, Nigeria -- A stampede Saturday at a church charity event in southern Nigeria left 31 folks lifeless and 7 injured, police informed The Associated Press, a surprising improvement at a program that aimed to supply hope to the needy. One witness stated the lifeless included a pregnant woman and lots of youngsters.

The stampede on the occasion organized by the Kings Assembly Pentecostal church in Rivers state involved individuals who came to the church’s annual “Store for Free” charity program, in accordance with Grace Iringe-Koko, a police spokeswoman.

Such occasions are common in Nigeria, Africa’s largest economic system, where more than 80 million folks live in poverty, in line with authorities statistics.

Saturday’s charity program was supposed to start at 9 a.m. however dozens arrived as early as 5 a.m. to secure their place in line, Iringe-Koko said. Somehow the locked gate was damaged open, creating a stampede, she said.

Godwin Tepikor from Nigeria’s Nationwide Emergency Management Company mentioned first responders have been in a position to evacuate the our bodies of these trampled to dying and convey them to the morgue. Safety forces cordoned off the world.

Dozens of residents later thronged the scene, mourning the dead and offering any help they may to emergency staff. Doctors and emergency staff treated some of the injured as they lay within the open discipline. Movies from the scene showed the clothes, shoes and other objects meant for the beneficiaries.

One witness who only recognized himself as Daniel said "there were so many kids” among the many lifeless. Five of the dead youngsters have been from one mother, he advised the AP, adding that a pregnant woman additionally lost her life.

Some church members were attacked and injured by kin of the victims after the stampede, in accordance with witness Christopher Eze. The church declined to comment on the situation.

The police spokeswoman said the seven injured were “responding to treatment."

The “Store for Free” event was suspended whereas authorities investigated how the stampede occurred.

Nigeria has seen related stampedes previously.

Twenty-four people died at an overcrowded church gathering in the southeastern state of Anambra in 2013, while no less than 16 folks have been killed in 2014 when a crowd acquired out of control throughout a screening for presidency jobs within the nation's capital, Abuja.

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Associated Press journalist Hilary Uguru in Warri, Nigeria, contributed.