3 in critical condition after crush at London concert venue
LONDON (AP) – Three people remained in hospital in critical condition on Friday after hundreds of people broke into a London concert hall during a performance by Nigerian Afrobeats star Asake.
LONDON (AP) – Three people remained in hospital in critical condition on Friday after hundreds of people broke into a London concert hall during a performance by Nigerian Afrobeats star Asake.
Police said eight people were taken to hospitals after being caught in a crowd trying to get into the O2 Brixton Academy. Initially, four were listed in critical condition. Two less seriously injured people were treated at the scene.
The Metropolitan Police Force said emergency services were called Thursday night after “a large crowd tried to gain entry without tickets”. Video footage taken by bystanders shows a crowd of hundreds outside the concert hall and dozens of people pushing through the doors and rushing upstairs.
Akin Oluwaleimu went to the concert with his 14-year-old daughter but said he decided to go after things got “rough” outside.
“Two ladies fainted and were carried upstairs. People got hurt because there was a lot of pushing, a lot of pushing,” he told the BBC.
The concert was interrupted and a promoter took the stage to tell the audience that people had “broke down the doors”.
Asake posted a message of support for the injured on Instagram, which read, “I pray you get well soon.”
London Mayor Sadiq Khan said he was “heartbroken that this could happen to Londoners in our city”.
“I will not rest until we have the answers their loved ones need and deserve,” he said on social media.
Police said they will conduct a thorough investigation into the incident and officers’ response. Footage shows an officer appearing to push a woman down a few steps at the entrance to the venue.
Metropolitan Police Gold Commander Ade Adelekan said officers who use force “know they must be held accountable for their actions”. He said the officers’ body-worn video footage was being investigated as part of a “thorough” investigation into the incident.
“This is an extremely worrying incident which has left four people critically ill in hospital. My thoughts and prayers are with them and their families,” he said.
According to the police, one person was arrested on suspicion of assault.
Brixton Academy in south London is one of the city’s most famous performance venues. Built as a cinema in the 1920s, it seats almost 5,000 people.
The Associated Press
