At least 29 dead in Liberian capital stampede

Gulf Today Report

A Stampede at a church gathering in Liberia's capital Monrovia killed 29 people overnight, the deputy information minister told state radio on Thursday.

The disaster occurred on Wednesday night or during the early hours of Thursday morning, according to media in the West African country.

Police spokesman Moses Carter told the media the death toll was provisional and "may increase" because a number of people were in critical condition. He added that children were included among the dead.

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"The doctors said 29 persons died and some are on the critical list," Tonpo said, calling into state radio from a nearby hospital. "This is a sad day for the country."

President George Weah is expected to visit the site on Thursday afternoon, his press office said.

People gather at redemption hospital where victims of a stampede were taken to. AP

Details about the incident remained sketchy. Local media said the event was a Christian prayer gathering — known in Liberia as a "crusade" — held in a football pitch in New Kru Town, a working-class suburb of Monrovia.

Such gatherings typically gather thousands of people in Liberia, a highly religious country where a majority of the population of five million are Christians.

Pastor Abraham Kromah, a popular preacher, staged the two-day prayer event in New Kru Town and attracted large crowds, according to images circulating on social media.

Robbers wielding knives and machetes attacked the worshippers, local media reported, suggesting that this may have triggered the stampede.