Eight people were killed and nine others injured in a crush Saturday night at an evangelical event in Bujumbura, Burundi’s largest city.
The incident happened as thousands tried to leave the Senior Technical School of Kamenge after a service led by prominent preacher Chris Ndikumana. According to eyewitnesses and police, a wall at the venue’s exit gate collapsed while worshippers pushed to get out late at night. Some were trampled in the rush.
“There were so many people and everyone wanted to leave at the same time,” a teacher at the school told AFP.
Police said King Khaled Hospital recorded six deaths, five women and one man, and treated four survivors. Two more deaths were reported at a military hospital, where five others were treated. Officials said most victims showed no signs of physical trauma, pointing to suffocation as the likely cause.
Ndikumana, who leads the Kanguka “Wake Up” ministry and has more than a million YouTube subscribers, had not commented publicly by Sunday. Organizers also remained silent. Followers of Ndikumana often attend his services across Africa, and some believe he can heal illnesses through prayer.
Deadly crushes at religious events have happened elsewhere on the continent in recent years. In 2020, at least 20 people died in Tanzania during a service when a crowd surged for blessed oil. In 2022, 31 people were killed in Port Harcourt, Nigeria during a church food distribution, and 29 people, including 11 children, died in Liberia after thieves targeted worshippers leaving a large gathering.
