Stampede injured 40 people at a Pretoria Church

Mbasa Gqokoma
11 October 2015

Approximately forty people sustained various injuries this morning when they tried to access a church event at the Tshwane Events Centre.

ER24 spokesperson Werner Vermaak says “ER24 paramedics and various other services were called on the scene after an alert was received that a stampede occurred at the venue. When paramedics arrived on the scene they found forty people with various injuries.”

Local emergency services along with law enforcement started assessing people in order to determine their injuries. A woman believed to be in her 60’s, was found with severe pelvic injuries. She was in a serious condition and rushed off to a nearby hospital for further care. A man believed to be in his late 30’s, was found with severe knee injuries and was also rushed off to a nearby hospital.

The remainder of the patients on the scene were triaged and assessed by paramedics. Thirteen people were transported to nearby hospital for injuries ranging from minor to moderate.

Several people indicated to paramedics that a church event is held on the premises every Sunday and they were gathering outside the closed gate when people started pushing from the back to gain access.
The gate eventually burst open and some people fell to the ground with other people falling and trampling over them. The exact cause of the incident is not yet known.

ER24 resources from as far as Johannesburg were dispatched to the scene to assist. Local authorities attended the incident.


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