More than 30 dead in stampede in Nigeria

At least 31 people were killed in a stampede in the Nigerian city of Port Harcourt, police said. A large crowd had gathered before the start of a church relief effort to accept food donations, police spokeswoman Grace Iringe-Koko told the German Press Agency. Panic broke out.

According to initial reports, a crowd could have triggered the accident. Some people had already arrived on Friday, reports the newspaper “Punch”. When a locked gate was opened that Saturday morning, the crowd may have tried to gain entry.

supply at risk

West African Nigeria is also dependent on grain imports from Russia and Ukraine to supply its population. The global supply is currently at risk. Russian Navy blocks Ukrainian ports for export; the West has imposed sanctions on Moscow.

In recent years, several fatal accidents have occurred during food distribution in Nigeria, the most populous country in Africa. In July, seven people died in Maiduguri in the northeast when a charity gave out free food. In northern Borno state, several women were trampled to death in a crowd in 2021.

jj/uh (dpa, afp, ap)