Death Toll in Asake Concert Stampede Rises as Second Woman Dies

By Adedapo Adesanya

A second woman has died after being injured in a crush at Nigeria’s music star, Asake’s concert in London’s Brixton O2 Academy.

Identified as Miss Gabrielle Hutchinson, 23, who was working as a security contractor that night, she reportedly died in the hospital early on Monday.

The concert, by Nigerian Afro-pop singer, Asake, was cut short on Thursday night after a large number of people tried to force their way inside, the Met Police said.

She becomes the second casualty after a mother-of-two, Ms Rebecca Ikumelo, 33, from Newham, East London, died on Saturday.

As it stands, a 21-year-old woman remains in critical condition in a hospital following the stampede at the south London venue last week.

The Met said: “At this time, we have established that the three women who were critically injured, including Rebecca Ikumelo and Gabrielle Hutchinson, who has tragically died, were all in the foyer of the building.”

It added detectives were working hard to establish exactly what happened on Thursday night and described the investigation as “large and complex”.

Ch Supt Colin Wingrove, policing commander for Lambeth and Southwark, said: “It is devastating news that a second person has lost their life following the events on Thursday.

“I wish to express my heartfelt condolences to Gabrielle’s family at this unimaginably difficult time.”

Mrs Florence Eshalomi, the MP for Vauxhall whose constituency includes Brixton, said she felt “utterly heartbroken” by the deaths of the two women.

Mr Sadiq Khan, the Mayor of London, said: “Gabrielle, like Rebecca Ikumelo, had her whole life ahead of her and had every right to come home safe and well after her shift, working at Brixton Academy.”

Asake, who had urged fans without tickets not to turn up at the venue before his first Brixton concert, released a statement following Ms Ikumelo’s death in which he said he was devastated.

“I am overwhelmed with grief and could never have imagined anything like this happening,” he wrote.

Academy Music Group, which owns and runs the venue, previously said its “thoughts are with everyone affected by this devastating news at this extremely difficult time”.