Woman dead after crowd surge at Asake concert in London
A 33-year-old woman died on Saturday due to injuries she suffered from the rush of a crowd at an Afrobeat concert in London two days earlier, officials said.
Rebecca Ikumelo succumbed to her injuries after she was caught in a massive surge at Asake’s Thursday show at the O2 Academy music hall in Brixton, Met police announced.
Two others were critically injured after a horde of people without tickets forced entry into the London venue, according to police.
In one video taken at the start of the surge, a crowd of people can be seen pushing up against others outside the locked doors of the music hall. The crowd pushes back and a portion of the people can be seen swaying and yelling “Move away!”
The group successfully pushes the doors open and the massive crowd rushes inside, video taken from the street shows. Some people can be heard screaming.
The concert was stopped halfway through after the group stormed the building.
Eight people were taken to the hospital, four of whom were in critical condition. One individual has since moved into more stable condition, while two others, aged 22 and 23, remain critical.
Ikumelo died Saturday morning. An autopsy is scheduled for Sunday.
“She was an adorable mother of two children who loved working with kids,” her family said in a statement. “She was well respected in the family for her care, kindness and love.”
Ikumelo was a nurse, according to her family. Her parents called her Tosin, a nickname for Oluwatosin, which translates to “Lord is Worthy” in Yoruba.
Asake, who was performing when the crowd surged, said he spoke with Ikumelo’s family and shared his condolences.
“I am devastated by the news that Rebecca Ikumelo who was in a critical condition since Thursday has sadly passed away,” he said on Twitter. “I am overwhelmed with grief and could never have imaged anything like this happening.”
Police have created an online page for attendees to submit evidence from the night, such as photos and videos of the surge.
Submissions have already led to the arrest of one woman who was seen assaulting an officer, police said.
“There were around 4,000 potential witnesses present at the time of this incident and we want to urge any members of the public with information to come forward. We need your information as we try to establish what happened as quickly as we can,” the Met said.