More than 30 people killed in stampede at church charity event in Nigeria

More than 30 people have been killed and others injured after a stampede broke out at a church charity sale in Nigeria on Saturday, police said.

The Kings Assembly Church in Rivers state had arranged the charity event to "offer hope" to the needy, organisers said.

Many of the stampede victims had come to benefit from the annual “Shop for Free” sale. Such events are common in Nigeria, Africa’s largest economy, where more than 80 million people live in poverty, according to government statistics.

Saturday’s charity program was supposed to begin at 9am but dozens arrived as early as 5am to secure their place in line, police spokesperson Grace Iringe-Koko said.

Somehow they broke open the locked gate, she said, noting that in addition to the deaths, seven other people were injured but “responding to treatment.”

Videos from the scene showed the clothing and shoes meant for the beneficiaries.

Doctors and emergency workers treated some of the injured as they lay in the open field.

The charity event was suspended while authorities investigated how the stampede occurred.

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