Eight people died and nine others were injured in a crush during an evangelical gathering in Burundi’s largest city, Bujumbura.

Saturday’s tragic incident happened at a school where prominent Burundian preacher Chris Ndikumana was appearing at the event attended by thousands of people.

Eyewitnesses and the police said a wall at the exit gate collapsed as worshippers jostled to leave the venue as the preaching ended late at night, with some being trampled in the crush.

Neither Ndikumana nor the event organisers have publicly commented on the incident.

“There were so many people and everyone wanted to leave at the same time,” a teacher told the AFP news agency.

“It was late at night,” the teacher from the Senior Technical School of Kamenge, the venue of the gathering, added.

In a statement, police said King Khaled Hospital in Bujumbura recorded six deaths – five females and a male – with four others being treated there. Two other deaths were recorded at a military hospital, where five patients were treated.

The police said two people showed physical injuries, with the rest having no signs of trauma, suggesting suffocation as being the main cause of death and injuries.

Ndikumana, whose YouTube channel has more than a million subscribers, leads the Kanguka (Wake up) ministry and often attracts huge crowds for his services in several African countries.

Some of his followers believe he can cure diseases through prayers.

Crushes during religious events are not uncommon on the continent. At least 20 people died in 2020 in neighbouring Tanzania during an outdoor religious service as attendees rushed forward to be anointed with blessed oil.

In 2022, 31 people died in Nigeria’s southern city of Port Harcourt where a church was handing out food to the poor, some of whom had waited there overnight.

The same year, at least 29 people, including 11 children, were killed in a crush in Liberia after thieves targeted worshippers leaving a large evangelical gathering.

Additional reporting by Bernard Bankukira.