At Least 14 People Died In Stampede At Election Rally In Southern Nigeria - Hospital

At least 14 people have died in a stampede during the rally that Muhammadu Buhari, incumbent Nigerian president, held ahead of the upcoming general elections, in the southern Nigerian state of Rivers, Kem Daniel-Elebiga, public relations officer at a local hospital, said on Wednesday

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 13th February, 2019) At least 14 people have died in a stampede during the rally that Muhammadu Buhari, incumbent Nigerian president, held ahead of the upcoming general elections, in the southern Nigerian state of Rivers, Kem Daniel-Elebiga, public relations officer at a local hospital, said on Wednesday.

"I can confirm 14 persons dead as I speak. Initially, it was six, but the figures can change as they bring them and [they] are being examined. There are others under medical attention at the Emergency Unit, so we can't force a clear figure beyond what the situation is at the moment," Daniel-Elebiga from the Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital said, as quoted by Nigerian daily newspaper Vanguard.

According to Vanguard, the rally was held inside a stadium in Rivers' capital of Port Harcourt. The stampede started as soon as the president left the venue. Most of the victims fell and were trampled over as Buhari's supporters were trying to break through the locked exit gate.

Elections of the president, the vice president and members of the National Assembly will be held in Nigeria on Saturday. Buhari, who has been ruling Nigeria since 2015, already served as the country's president between 1983 and 1985.