Multiple people were injured and carried out on stretchers after a “stampede” at a family-friendly festival in north London as too many people turned up.
Daily Mail reports that the organizers of Ghana Party in the Park were forced to end the event “abruptly” at Copthall Playing Fields in Barnet on Saturday after it became “overcrowded”.
Several festivalgoers suffered “non-life-threatening injuries” following the crush, and footage from the event shows dozens of emergency vehicles, including air ambulances, were in attendance.
Witnesses saw injured people being carried from the grounds on stretchers by medics.
One 18-year-old described the incident as “very chaotic”, adding that the festival was “very poorly” organized.
Another said: “Ghana Party in the Park, aka ShatterFest, has had a stampede, with people seriously injured.
“Two air ambulances [helicopters] have flown in to take some of the injured away.
“People have been unable to get into the event since 2 pm. There are probably 1,000 people outside right now.”
Ghana Party in the Park is an annual outdoor festival for the Ghanaian diaspora in London, which has been running since 2005.
It attracts more than 8,000 people, according to the London Assembly website, making it the largest Ghanaian event outside Ghana.
The event’s website describes it as a “cultural festival celebrating the very best of Ghanaian music, culture, food, fashion and community”.
In a statement on Saturday night, organizers said: “Following the unfortunate incident at today’s event, we wish to provide an update regarding the abrupt closure of Ghana in the Park.
“The decision to close the festival was made solely on the grounds of health and safety.
“Officers from the <London Ambulance Service and the London Fire Brigade responded to a major incident on site.
“Following discussions with the emergency services and our health and safety team, it was agreed that closing the festival was the safest option in order to protect all attendees.”
A MET Police spokesperson told the Daily Mail: “Shortly after 18:00 hrs on Saturday, 1 August, we were alerted to reports of crushing at the entrance to the Ghana Party in the Park event being held at the Copthall Playing Fields in Barnet.
“A small fire on the site, near to the entrance, had required the gates to be closed temporarily. A crowd built up and surged when the gates were reopened.
“Officers responded quickly and, working alongside event organizers, they formed a barrier between the surging crowds and people on the floor.
“Officers gave initial medical care, including CPR, to those who had sustained injuries. They were joined by paramedics and firefighters as part of a coordinated multiagency response.”
