It has been confirmed that a woman – identified as 33-year-old Rebecca Ikumelo – has tragically died this morning in the hospital following being injured in the crowd crush at the Brixton Academy, South London, on Thursday night (December 15th).
Eight people were rushed to the hospital on Thursday, and two of them – two women aged 21 and 23 – remain in critical care. Following the incident, the Chief Superintendent and commander for the boroughs of Lambeth and Southwark, Colin Wingrove, made a statement.
He said, “I’d like to extend my sympathies to all those who have been affected. Having seen some of the really upsetting images, our thoughts are with them.” Wingrove said that a number of detectives are undertaking an investigation to get to the bottom of what happened during the Afrobeat artist Asake’s concert.
Asake was asked to abandon the show after playing for just ten minutes and performing only three songs. He released a statement in which he said, “My heart is with those who were injured last night and caused any form of discomfort. I pray you get well soonest. I am also in the process of reaching out to individuals.”
The detectives will consult the footage shared on social media and that from the body-worn cameras of the several members of the police who were on the scene. Reports claim that several people had been trying to gain access to the venue, despite it being at sell-out capacity.
The Labour MP for Vauxhall, Florence Eshalomi, said, “It is very clear ticketing, and security procedures have not performed as they should have for this incident to have occurred. We need answers about exactly how this happened and safeguards against it in future.”
She added: “This is a deeply concerning incident and has turned an experience which should have been a celebration into a very sad day.”
