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| A relief program was organized in the church to distribute goods among the deserving people. |
At least 31 people have been killed and seven others injured in a stampede at a church in the African nation of Nigeria.
An eyewitness said that the dead included a pregnant woman and several children.
According to a police spokesman, the program was an annual 'Shop for Free' program for deserving people at King Assembly Pentecostal Church in Rivers State.
Such events are held in Nigeria. Nigeria is considered to be one of the largest economies in Africa, but according to government figures, more than 80 million people live in extreme poverty.
People started arriving there to find a better place in the queues.
According to the report, the gates were closed in front of which people had gathered and the gate broke in a stampede which led to a stampede.
Gaddafi Tepikor, an official with Nigeria's National Emergency Management Agency, said shortly after the incident that security forces had cordoned off the area and the bodies of the dead were being moved.
According to eyewitnesses, the situation was very dire.
Videos have also surfaced showing chaos and items that were to be distributed to deserving people.
They included shoes, clothes and other belongings.
An eyewitness, Daniel, told the AP that the death toll was very high, including five children of a mother and a pregnant woman.
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