One dead, 2 critical in crowd crush at London concert venue; mayor tweets condolences
Photo of the Brixton O2 Academy, South London.
A 33-year-old woman, who was one of the three people critically injured following a crowd crush outside a concert in South London, died on Saturday. The victim was identified as Rebecca Ikumelo, a resident of London. Taking to Twitter, London's mayor Sadiq Khan extended condolences to her family, friends and loved ones.
''I am heartbroken by the tragic death of Rebecca Ikumelo who has very sadly died following the awful events on Thursday night in Brixton," Khan tweeted and said the 33-year-old had her whole life ahead of her.
"My thoughts remain with everyone affected by this dreadful incident. It’s vital that the investigation into what happened concludes as soon as possible," Khan added. The mayor also said that City Hall was in contact with venues and authorities across London to ensure nothing like this happens again.
What happened during the concert?
On Thursday, a crowd crush was reported outside the concert venue — O2 Academy Brixton in South London during a performance of Nigerian Afrobeats singer Asake. Emergency teams were called to the venue following reports that a large number of people were attempting to force entry, according to the Metropolitan Police, a report by news agency AFP.
Officers, ambulance crews and fire brigade responders arrived to find numerous people with injuries. Chief Superintendent Colin Wingrove told reporters on Friday that officers provide first aid and CPR to the public to save lives.
Eight people were taken to hospital by ambulance while two "less seriously injured" were treated at the scene. Four of those hospitalised were in critical condition but the number was reduced to three by Friday. The police said on Saturday that the two other women, aged 21 and 23, remained in critical condition, the AFP report said.
(With inputs from agencies)
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