Daily Times

At least 29 people, including 11 children and a pregnant woman, were killed when robbers triggered a stampede at a religious rally in Liberia’s capital, officials said on Thursday. The disaster occurred at around 9pm on Wednesday at a Christian prayer gathering in New Kru Town, a poor suburb of Monrovia, police spokesman Moses Carter told AFP. The death toll is provisional and “may increase” as some people are in critical condition, Carter said.A group of young boys attempted to rob worshippers as they were leaving the gathering, causing them to retreat in panic, he said. Deputy Minister for Press Jallawah Tonpoe told reporters at Monrovia’s Redemption Hospital that there were 11 children and a pregnant woman among the 29 dead.Fifteen people have also been admitted to hospital, he said, including seven children. President George Weah declared a three-day period of mourning and ordered an investigation, his office stated.Local media said the event was a Christian prayer meeting — known in Liberia as a “crusade” — held on a football pitch in New Kru Town.Such gatherings typically gather thousands of people in Liberia, a highly religious country where a majority of the population of five million are Christians. Pastor Abraham Kromah, a popular preacher, staged the two-day prayer event, which attracted large crowds, according to images circulating on social media.One of the attendees, Elisabeth Wesseh, told AFP that “zogo boys” — a local term for young criminals — had threatened worshippers with knives at the entrance, demanding money and telephones.