Several people were killed during a stampede at a campaign rally for Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari in the southern city of Port Harcourt, his party said on Tuesday.
Buhari “has just been informed of the tragic deaths of several members of his All Progressives Congress (APC) party in a stampede,” it said.
Party officials did not specify how many people had died or were injured. A spokesperson for a local hospital said 14 people were killed.
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People at the rally began to panic and rushed toward a locked exit inside the Adokiye Amiesimaka Stadium towards the end of the event, according to local media.
Buhari is seeking a second term as president of Africa’s most populous country against the challenge of businessman and former vice president Atiku Abubakar. Voters head to the polls on Sunday.
Stampedes occasionally occur at crowded campaign rallies in Nigeria. A rally for Buhari in the eastern state of Taraba killed several supporters last week.
amp/rc (Reuters, AFP)
Article source: https://www.dw.com/en/nigeria-several-dead-after-stampede-at-presidential-rally/a-47488588?maca=en-rss-en-all-1573-rdf