A stampede has killed at least 29 people at a religious event in the suburbs of the Liberian capital Monrovia, police said on Thursday.
Those who died from the incident include 11 children and a pregnant woman.
The bodies have been taken to the morgue of Redemption Hospital, close to where the incident occurred in a beach area called New Kru Town.
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The stampede erupted when a gang of thugs armed with knives attacked some of the hundreds attending the ceremony at about 9 p.m. on Wednesday night, police spokesman Moses Carter told The Associated Press.
One person has been arrested, he said.
Local media said it was a Christian prayer gathering, known in Liberia as a “crusade,” held in a football field.
Witness Emmanuel Gray, 26, told AFP he heard “heavy noise” towards the end and saw several dead bodies.
Street gangs have become an increasing problem in Monrovia and other Liberian cities in recent years, according to residents.
President George Weah was expected to visit the scene Thursday, according to Liberian media reports.
Liberia, Africa’s oldest republic, is an impoverished country that is still recovering after back-to-back civil wars between 1989-2003, as well as the 2014-2016 West Africa Ebola epidemic.
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