At least seven people have been killed and more than 40 injured in a stampede at a recruitment venue in Abuja for thousands seeking job placement with Nigerian Immigrations Service. The stampede occurred early Saturday at the National Stadium as thousands of job applicants stormed the stadium gates. Witnesses said seven applicants, mostly trampled underfoot in the rush, were declared dead at the nearby National Hospital. The hospital said it was “still battling with the actual number” wounded applicants. The hospital’s director for management information service Tayo Haastrup told Daily Trust some wounded were treated and relocated to district hospitals in Garki and Maitama. Others have been admitted to wards or discharged, depending on the extent of their injuries, Haastrup confirmed. Immigrations officials are yet to comment. NIS advertised for only 4,500 positions nationwide. The stampede occurred as thousands of applicants outside the stadium’s locked gates rushed through to sit for tests and physical examinations required by Immigration’s recruitment procedures.Tests were yet to get underway when applicants were trampled in the stampede, said a correspondent at the venue. The tests were billed to start at seven, but were also yet to start some five hours after the incident, according to the correspondent.He added that there seemed to be no way to deal with the thousands of applicants who have crowded out the stadium. National Stadium sits at least 60,491 spectators at full capacity. Sources estimate up to 68,554 applicants turned up for recruitment
Posted on: Sat, 15 Mar 2014 17:08:19 +0000
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