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Two individuals lost their lives, and several others sustained injuries during a religious procession at Christ the King Catholic (CKC) Church in Aba, Abia State.
The event, known as Christ the King Sunday, is observed annually by the Roman Catholic and Lutheran Churches on the final Sunday of the liturgical calendar to honour the sovereign rule of Jesus Christ.
The procession, organized by the Catholic Diocese of Aba, attracted a large gathering of urban parishes, filling the CKC premises along Asa Road.
The massive crowd reportedly spilt beyond the church’s gate, and during the event, two elderly women collapsed within the premises.
They were rushed to a nearby hospital but were pronounced dead. The women, identified as members of Holy Cross Parish, are believed to have suffered from suffocation due to the dense crowd.
Additionally, several children also fainted during the procession and were taken to a private hospital for treatment.
A parishioner, Modestus Kalu, revealed that incidents of individuals collapsing during processions in the diocese have occurred before, but this was the first time fatalities were recorded.
He called on the Catholic Diocese of Aba to address the issue by managing crowd sizes to prevent future tragedies.
“The crowd was overwhelming, and the atmosphere became hostile,” Kalu said. “The church should have anticipated such challenges and taken measures to ensure safety.
“While no one deserves such a preventable death, I urge the church to learn from this and pray for the departed souls and their families.”
Efforts to reach Bishop Augustine Echema of the Aba Catholic Diocese for comments were unsuccessful, according to Vanguard.
However, a senior church official stated that this was an unprecedented incident, and plans are underway to support the families of the deceased.