Rebecca Ikumelo dies 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.

Crazed concertgoers stormed the building.

Eight people were taken to the hospital.


Advertisement

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.

Rebecca Ikumelo
Ikumelo was a 33-year-old nurse and mother of two.
BBC News via Family Handout

“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.



Check out our Latest News and Follow us at Facebook

Original Source

Two London teens stabbed to death one mile apart

Two 16-year-old boys were stabbed to death in Greenwich, England just one mile from one another Saturday night, the latest in a violent rash sweeping through the city.

The unnamed teenagers were found injured with stab wounds in Abbey Wood and Thamesmead just past 5:00 p.m., London’s Metropolitan Police said.

The boys died later that night, cops said.

“Given the proximity in time and distance of the incidents, officers will be seeking to urgently establish any link between them,” the Met said.

At least four others were stabbed across the city in November, with two succumbing to their injuries.

Keisha Christodoulou, 32, was stabbed to death inside ar Tanner’s Hill home on the first day of the month. Police believe 33-year-old Leon Murray killed her and that the two had known one another before the stabbing.

Three teenagers were arrested for the fatal stabbing of Gabriel Petrov Stoyanov, 21, on Bromley Road Nov. 4. George David, 16, went on the lam, but was arrested several weeks later along with two unnamed 14- and 17-year-old boys.

The boys are the latest in a string of unrelated stabbings to sweep the city.

Two others have died from stabbings this month.

Two men were charged after a man in his 40s was stabbed in Queen’s Road, Twickenham on Nov. 18. The victim was taken to the hospital and his condition was assessed as not life-threatening.

The next day, a man in his 20s was stabbed in the leg at the junction of Lion Road and Bexleyheath Broadway in Bexleyheath. Two men, aged 24 and 25, were arrested in connection to the crime.

Check out our Latest News and Follow us at Facebook

Original Source

Joe and Jill Biden pay their respects to Queen Elizabeth

President Biden and First Lady Jill Biden paid their respects to Queen Elizabeth II on Sunday, visiting her coffin in London’s Westminster Hall, where she is currently laying in state.

Tens of thousands of people have cycled through to say their final goodbyes while the queen’s coffin is on display in Westminster Hall, although Biden did not have to wait in the up-to 24 hour lines that many Brits have been enduring.

Biden, 79, made the sign of the cross when he arrived and placed his hand on his heart while paying his respects.

The president was filmed on a balcony overlooking the late monarch’s coffin, joined by the first lady, as visitors continued to enter the hall below.

The president and first lady arrived Saturday to London, where they will stay until Monday for the queen’s funeral at Westminster Abbey.

The Bidens will also sign the official condolence book for the queen in Lancaster House Sunday, and then will go to Buckingham Palace for a reception of dignitaries hosted by King Charles III.

Around 500 royals and heads of state and government from around the world have been invited to the funeral for Elizabeth, who died Sept. 8 at 96 after reigning for 70 years.

Prince William and his wife Princess Kate will be at that reception, but Prince Harry and Meghan Markle will not be in attendance, after they were apparently uninvited — something they only found out in press reports. King Charles III has said only working royals are invited to the event. 

Biden, French president Emmanuel Macron and the Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau are among the heads of states who are expected to attend the reception, hosted by Charles and Queen Consort Camilla ahead of the Queen’s funeral on Monday.

Guests will also be greeted by the Prince and Princess of Wales, the Princess Royal and the Earl and Countess of Wessex at the Buckingham Palace reception.

Check out our Latest News and Follow us at Facebook

Original Source

Looted $1 million ‘Quarter Shekel’ coin returned to Israel by NYC prosecutors

A rare silver coin — valued at $1 million — that was looted from an archeological site in Israel has been returned to the country, Manhattan prosecutors said this week.

The quarter shekel was minted by Jewish rebels fighting the Roman empire during “The Great Jewish Revolt” in 69 C.E. and dug up in the Ella Valley years later.

The Israel Antiquities Authority learned in 2002 through multiple informants that the ancient coin — known as the “Year Four Quarter Shekel” — had been looted.

The coin is one of only two dating back to the revolt, which began in 66 C.E., that are known to exist. It was moved through the illicit antiquities markets until it was smuggled from Israel through Jordan to the UK, where it was offered at a London auction in 2017.

Homeland Security officials seized the coin later that year after collectors tried to sell it at an auction in Denver, where it was listed as having an estimated value between $500,000 and $1 million. 

The shekel was returned at a ceremony attended by Israel’s Ambassador to the UN.
ZUMAPRESS.com

The Manhattan District Attorney’s Antiquities Trafficking Unit took the investigation over and eventually sent the shekel home to Israel.

“We are honored to return the Quarter Shekel, an exceedingly rare coin that has immense cultural value,” DA Alvin Bragg said in a statement Monday.

“Despite the complexity of this investigation, our team of prosecutors, analysts and agents working with Israeli authorities, were able to track down this antiquity in just a matter of months.”

DA Bragg said that the coin was able to be tracked down in mere months.
AP

The shekel was returned at a repatriation ceremony on Monday attended by Israel’s Ambassador to the United Nations Gilad Erdan.

“This singular artifact is a stark reminder of the Jewish people’s millennia-old connection to the land of Israel,” Erdan said in a statement, thanking authorities “for restoring this priceless coin to its rightful home.”

Check out our Latest News and Follow us at Facebook

Original Source

Exit mobile version