LONDON — Eight people have been injured, with four in critical condition, after a suspected crush during a concert in London on Thursday night.
Police said eight people were hospitalized after sustaining “injuries believed to have been caused by crushing.” Two more were treated by fire service and paramedic teams at the scene in the south of the city.
Police said they were called at 9:35 p.m. local time (4:35 p.m. ET) on Thursday to the O2 Academy Brixton — one of London’s most famous music venues — where Asake, a Nigerian Afrobeats singer and songwriter, was performing.
Emergency services attended the scene “following reports that a number of people had been injured after a large crowd attempted to gain entry without tickets,” police said.
Videos shared on social media appeared to show crowds of people outside the venue, with sounds of shouting and screaming. Other footage appeared to show people who made it inside the venue running and pushing their way from the front entrance toward the concert hall.
NBC News has not verified the footage.
The Metropolitan Police, London’s police force, said it would launch a “thorough” investigation to establish what happened on the night.
Met Police Gold Commander Ade Adelekan described the incident as “extremely upsetting.”
The concert was cancelled just ten minutes after Asake appeared to perform.
Police said they would also investigate how officers treated the crowd, which was predominantly made up of Black British attendees.
Adelekan said officers who use force “know they have to be accountable for their actions” and added that officers’ body-worn video footage would be studied as part of the investigation into the incident.
