About 31 persons have been confirmed dead following a stampede that occurred this morning at the GRA Axis of Rivers State. Confirming the sad incident, the acting Spokesperson of the Rivers State Police Command, Grace Iringe-Koko, said a the victims died during a stampede at the venue of an outreach programme put together by a new generation church.
Africa Update gathered that the Church, the Kings Assembly, located at GRA, had reportedly invited members of the public and promised that gift items and food would be distributed at the Port Harcourt Polo Club, a bigger facility to accomodate the anticipated crowd.
The acting spokesperson, said: “It is 31 persons that died. It was a stampede because a church was trying to give out palliative.
“They were about to start the event. It was to start by 9am or so. But some persons who went there and broke into the place and went inside.
“So people started rushing in and there was a stampeded. From the information we have, the church was trying to gift items and food to assist the underprivileged,.
“Meanwhile, investigation has commenced to ascertain the remote and immediate causes of the incident.”
