Thirty-five children were killed in a stampede at a funfair in Ibadan, southwest Nigeria, and six others were hospitalized, police said.
The event was advertised as free entry and attracted a large crowd, but so many people came that there was a crush as they struggled to get in.
Locals said more than 5,000 children had gathered at the venue and there was a crush when the main organizers arrived to launch the event.
The sequence of events leading to the crush has not been disclosed.
Police say they have arrested eight people behind the event, including the main organizer, Naomi Silekunola, a well-known personality in the city.
The Oyo State government said the victims were taken to hospitals in Ibadan for treatment after the crush at the Islamic High School in Bashorun district of the city.
He said there had been “multiple losses of life and injuries”.
Authorities urged parents worried about the fate of their children to go to city hospitals.
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