Eight worshippers die in crush at Burundi preacher's gathering

What the report says

Nile Post, citing a BBC report, says eight people were killed and nine others injured in a crush at an evangelical gathering in Bujumbura, Burundi’s largest city, on Saturday. The event was held at the Senior Technical School of Kamenge and drew thousands of worshippers who had come to see prominent Burundian preacher Chris Ndikumana.

According to the report, the crush occurred late at night as the preaching ended and attendees tried to leave. Eyewitnesses and police said a wall near the exit gate gave way while people were pressing toward the exit, and some worshippers were trampled. A teacher at the venue told AFP that the crowd was large and many people attempted to depart at once.

Police said King Khaled Hospital in Bujumbura recorded six of the deaths, involving five females and one male, and treated four injured people. Two more deaths were reported at a military hospital, where five other patients were treated. Police said only two victims had visible physical injuries, while others did not show signs of trauma, leading authorities to suggest suffocation may have been the main cause of death and injury.

Nile Post reported that neither Ndikumana nor the event organisers had publicly commented. Ndikumana leads the Kanguka, or “Wake up,” ministry and has a large online following, with more than one million YouTube subscribers. The report also noted that deadly crushes have occurred at other major religious gatherings in Africa, including past incidents in Tanzania, Nigeria and Liberia.