Seven people, including an eight-year-old girl, have been killed in a crush at a charity event in Nigeria.
On Sunday, a businessman in Bauchi state, in the north-east, had invited residents to collect 5,000 naira ($3.70; £2.90) each.
The event attracted a big crowd and “before you knew it things got out of hand”, a local journalist told the BBC.
Recent economic strife has left many desperate for help. Five thousand naira could feed an average family for a day.
Police confirmed that seven people – four adult women and three girls, aged between eight and 55 – were killed in the incident in the Jos Road area of Bauchi city, though some locals have put the death toll higher.
The authorities have said they are now investigating what happened.
Women normally attend these types of events as men are often reluctant to be seen in places where charity handouts are being offered.
Babangida Adamu lost his teenage daughter, Aisha, in the crush.
“She has never attended such events before yesterday and she went with some people,” he said in a subdued voice on the phone from Bauchi.
“I was sitting when a girl came to me crying that I should rush to the hospital. On reaching there (I learned) my daughter has died. We buried her alongside other victims on Sunday.”
—BBC
