(Abuja) At least 31 people were killed in a stampede in southern Nigeria during a church-sponsored food distribution on Saturday, police said.
Posted at 12:59 p.m.
Shoes and sandals lay on the ground after the disaster in the town of Port Harcourt, Rivers state, police and witnesses said.
“Unfortunately, the crowd grew restless and out of control and all efforts by organizers to restore calm failed, hence the stampede,” police said in a statement. “A total of 31 people lost their lives in the stampede.”
The police announced the opening of a criminal investigation to determine the exact circumstances of the tragedy.
Church officials were not immediately available to respond.
Local Nigerian media reported that the event was organized by the King’s Assembly Church to donate food and various supplies to the needy at a polo club ground in the oil city.
In recent years, Nigeria has experienced several tragedies during stampedes linked to food distributions, including in 2021 during an operation organized by a humanitarian agency in the state of Borno, in the north of the country, where seven women were died after being trampled on by the crowd.
Saturday morning’s stampede came as leaders of the main opposition People’s Democratic Party (PDP) gathered in the capital, Abuja, to choose their candidate for the 2023 presidency from among several officials, including the governor of Rivers State, Ezenwo Nyesom Wike.