13th February, 2019
Okafor Ofiebor/Port Harcourt
University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital, UPTH, has officially confirmed that the death toll during the Presidential rally at the Adokiye Amasiemaka on Tuesday has risen to 15.
The Public Relations Officer of UPTH, Mr Ken Elebiga, revealed in a telephone interview with our correspondent that the death toll from data of the Accident and Emergency ward of the hospital was 15, which included 12 women and three men.
He disclosed that the corpses are at the morgue of the hospital.
According to him, 12 persons were rushed to the Accident and Emergency Ward yesterday alive, where three of them who sustained minor injuries were discharged.
He said five of them were still at the Casualty Ward of and responding to treatment.
Meanwhile, the Rivers State Police, through its spokesman, Nnamdi Omoni,DSP, had confirmed four dead and said that the Command had launched an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the stampede and that if there was any case of negligence established on anybody the person would be brought to book.
“Commissioner of Police, Usman Belel, has ordered full investigation into the immediate or remote cause of the stampede.”
It will recalled that the last time there was stampede at Liberation Stadium Port Harcourt was February 12 2011, during the campaign rally of former President Goodluck Jonathan where 12 persons died and scores of people were injured.