At least 31 people died Saturday in southern Nigeria when a crowd formed and trampled during a food distribution organized by a local church, police said.
The tragedy occurred in Port Harcourt town, Rivers State, said Grace Iringe-Koko, a spokeswoman for the local police, citing 31 deaths.
Hundreds of people, who had gathered to get food at the church early in the morning, broke through a gate, causing the stampede, the police spokeswoman said.
"People were there early on and some became impatient and started pushing and shoving, which led to the stampede. The police are on the scene and monitoring the situation while investigation is ongoing," he added."
The Nigerian media reported that the event was organised by the King's Assembly Church to provide food and various supplies to the needy at a polo ground in the oil city.
In recent years, Nigeria has experienced several tragedies of trampling during crowds associated with food distributions, including in 2021 during a food distribution programme organised by a humanitarian organisation in Borno State, in the northern part of the country, where seven women died when they were trampled by the crowd.
Source: APM
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