More than 30 people were killed and others injured when a stampede broke out at a church event in the southeastern Nigerian city of Port Harcourt on Saturday, according to police and security officials.
Highlights
- The incident took place at a local polo club, where the nearby Kings Assembly Church had organized a gift donation drive.
- Most of the casualties were children, police say.
- The drive had not yet started when the stampede took place, a spokeswoman for the state police says.
- The crowd forced their way into the venue, despite the fact that the gate was closed, resulting in the deadly charge, she adds.
- The stampede happened during the process of distributing the gift items, a spokesman for Nigeria’s Civil Defense Corps says.