Stampede at Liberian church event kills 29

Hundreds of church members had gathered for an all-night crusade at a football field in Liberia’s capital city of Monrovia on Wednesday night when an attack on the crowd triggered a deadly stampede. People trampled over each other to flee the area, many leaving their shoes and other belongings behind. Among the 29 dead were 11 children and a pregnant woman, and others were critically injured. Liberia’s President George Weah declared three days of national mourning.

Who attacked the crowd? A gang of thugs wielding knives and cutlasses assaulted some of the worshippers as they gathered to listen to a popular preacher, Pastor Abraham Kromah. Street gangs that commit robberies have become more widespread in Monrovia and other Liberian cities. Weah called for better regulations over such gatherings, including a limit on the number of attendees based on the size of the location.

Dig deeper: Read my report in The Sift on a stampede that occurred last year at an Israeli religious festival.