A stampede at a church charity event in southern Nigeria on Saturday killed 31 people and wounded seven others in a program intended at giving hope to the underprivileged. Shoes and slippers were left on the ground following the incident in Port Harcourt, Rivers State’s capital, when crowds tried to push their way into the event.
On Saturday, more than 30 people were murdered in southern Nigeria after a stampede broke out during a packed church charity event where food was being distributed. According to one witness, among the deceased were a pregnant mother and many children.
According to Grace Iringe-Koko, a police spokesperson, the stampede at the event held by the Kings Assembly Pentecostal church in Rivers state featured individuals who came to the church’s annual “Shop for Free” charity program. Such incidents are typical in Nigeria, Africa’s largest economy, where government data show that more than 80 million people live in poverty.
According to Godwin Tepikor of Nigeria’s National Emergency Management Agency, first responders were able to remove and transport the remains of those trampled to death to the mortuary. The area was blocked off by security troops.
Witnesses recounted frantic shoving and stomping as individuals attempting to enter the building were pushed aside. In recent years, Nigeria has experienced multiple food distribution stampede catastrophes, including an aid agency feeding program in north Borno State, where seven women were trampled to death last year.
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