Brixton Academy: Woman dies after Asake concert crush - BBC

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A woman has died after being injured in a crush at a gig at London's Brixton O2 Academy that left several others hurt.

The concert, by Afro-pop singer Asake, had to be abandoned part-way through after a "large number of people" tried to force their way inside on Thursday, the Met Police said.

Rebecca Ikumelo, 33, from Newham, east London, died in hospital on Saturday morning, the Met said.

Two other women aged 21 and 23 remain in a critical condition, police added.

Asake said he was "overwhelmed with grief" and "devastated" by her death.

The artist said he had spoken with Ms Ikumelo's family and asked people to "keep them in our prayers".

Academy Music Group, which owns and runs the venue, said in a statement: "All at O2 Academy Brixton and Academy Music Group are deeply saddened by the news of the tragic death of Rebecca Ikumelo.

"We send our heartfelt condolences to Rebecca's family and friends, and our thoughts are with everyone affected by this devastating news at this extremely difficult time."

London Mayor Sadiq Khan also wrote in a tweet he was "heartbroken" by the death.

He said it was "vital that the investigation into what happened concludes as soon as possible" and added that City Hall was working with authorities "to ensure nothing like this happens again".

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Videos on social media showed the crowd stretching from the road outside to the venue's doors.

Speaking at the scene on Friday, Ch Supt Colin Wingrove said: "I'd like to extend my sympathies to all those who have been affected.

"Having seen some of the really upsetting images on social media our thoughts are with them," he added.

The force said more than 4,000 people were in attendance at the gig and it has set up a website for people to submit relevant photos and videos.

In a statement outside Brixton police station on Friday afternoon, Mr Wingrove said officers were called by staff at the venue "following reports that a large number of people were attempting to force entry".

He added: "Some officers provided first aid and CPR to members of the public in order to save life."

• What happened at the Brixton Academy crush?

Florence Eshalomi, Labour MP for Vauxhall whose constituency includes Brixton, tweeted on Saturday: "I visited the site this morning and I've been dreading this news ever since the incident and hoping it would never never come.

"My thoughts and prayers to Rebecca Ikumelo's family and friends. Such a tragic loss of a young 33yr with so much life ahead of her."

The first officers were reported to be on the scene at 21:11 GMT, seven minutes after they were called.

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The concert was the final performance of three sold-out shows at the venue by Nigerian singer Asake, sometimes known as Mr Money.

Before the gig, he had posted on Twitter asking fans not to try to gain entry unless they had tickets.

In a statement published on Twitter on Saturday, Asake said: "I am overwhelmed with grief and could never have imagined anything like this happening.

"My team and I are still awaiting the full debrief back from the venue management and the police to determine what exactly led to all the disruption caused and ultimately to Rebecca's passing."

He urged anyone with information to contact police.

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2022-12-17 15:04:17Z
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Hospitals told to free up beds for ambulance strike - BBC

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By Mattea Bubalo

BBC News

Hospitals should free up beds to prepare for "extensive disruption" caused by ambulance staff strikes in England, NHS bosses have urged.

They said patients would need to be safely discharged where possible ahead of a "very challenging" period.

Ambulance staff are to walk out on 21 and 28 December in a dispute over pay.

Cabinet Office minister Oliver Dowden said the strikes create "big risks" for the public, and urged union leaders to call them off.

The co-ordinated walkout in England and Wales by the three main ambulance unions - Unison, GMB and Unite - will affect non-life threatening calls only.

Unison, Unite and GMB are taking action on 21 December. GMB union members will go on strike again on 28 December.

The walkouts will involve paramedics as well as control room staff and support workers.

Staff have been offered an average rise of 4.75%, with a guaranteed minimum of £1,400 - but the unions have asked for above-inflation pay rises.

• The strikes taking place in December
• Police asked to help during Welsh ambulance strike
• Sunak says nurses' pay offer appropriate and fair

In a letter addressed to hospital bosses, NHS chiefs in England have called for patients who complete emergency medical care to be moved out of emergency departments.

This may involve the creation of "observation areas" and additional beds elsewhere in the hospital, Sir David Sloman, NHS England's chief operating officer, wrote in the letter co-signed by national medical director for England Professor Sir Stephen Powis and chief nursing officer for England Dame Ruth May.

The aim is to free up beds to make it easier to move people through A&E and allow paramedics to get more quickly back on the road.

Some outpatient appointments could also be cut back to allow senior medical staff to be redeployed to emergency departments. But NHS chiefs say "every effort" should be made to maintain urgent cancer diagnostics or cancer treatment, with rescheduling to be considered as a last resort.

Measures should be put in place to ensure that patients arriving at hospitals in ambulances are handed over to A&E in less than 15 minutes, they said.

Ambulance handover delays in England have hit a new high, according to recent NHS data. Last week, one in six patients waited for more than an hour to be passed on to A&E teams.

However, Dr Adrian Boyle, president of the Royal College of Emergency Medicine said while he supported the request in the letter, it would be difficult to achieve.

"We don't hold up ambulances for fun," he told Radio 4's Today. "It really is difficult. We always want ambulances to return to the front line as quickly as possible and we've been struggling to do this in the last three years."

Asked what the solution was, he said it was not just provision of social care to enable elderly people to be discharged from hospital.

"We run our hospitals very tight compared to our European comparators," he said, adding: "It's not just about social care but about making sure our hospitals are big enough to cope."

The strike by ambulance staff on 21 December comes the day after a nurses' strike.

"It's something that makes everyone who works in this sector pretty anxious," said Dr Boyle

NHS Providers' interim chief executive Saffron Cordery also said reducing handover delays would be "incredibly difficult to implement" because of factors including staff absences and rising flu admissions.

Ms Cordery said: "We understand why ambulance staff have voted for industrial action but it's vital that the government and unions talk urgently to find a way to prevent this and further strikes from happening."

The letter sent to NHS trusts and Integrated Care Boards said bosses should create and co-ordinate plans on how to handle strike days by 19 December.

It is clear that NHS leaders are very concerned about the possible impact of the ambulance strikes planned for Wednesday 21 December and a more limited walkout a week later.

The letter to hospitals urging rapid preparations, including moving as many medically fit patients as possible out, is evidence of that - with references to a "very challenging period" and involving "extensive disruption".

A senior NHS England official Sir Jim Mackey has said that action by ambulance teams represented a completely different order of magnitude of risk compared to nurses strikes. Tuesday's second nurses strike will see thousands more appointments and procedures cancelled.

The letter from health leaders suggests there may have to be more postponements of appointments on Wednesday when ambulance staff go on strike in order to allow senior doctors to be redeployed to emergency departments. All this with no sign of ministers and unions being in any hurry to start pay talks.

Following an emergency Cobra meeting on Monday, the prime minister's official spokesman said the number of ambulances available to attend calls would be reduced "significantly".

Armed forces could be deployed to hospital trusts ahead of the strikes, Downing Street has confirmed.

The Police Federation has also suggested police officers may also be called upon to drive ambulances.

Mr Dowden told the Daily Telegraph: "The whole government effort is, of course, to try and minimise those impacts. But if this ambulance strike in particular goes ahead, there will be significant impacts and significant disruption.

"You can't call a strike in this area and think that it's not going to have an impact. And it will have an impact."

He called on union leaders to call off strikes to give families and the military "a break".

It comes after nurses took strike action on Thursday in parts of England, Wales and Northern Ireland in a dispute over pay.

Figures released by NHS trusts in England and Northern Ireland show at least 19,000 patients had their surgeries and appointments postponed because of strike.

Ministers had predicted that a larger number of around 70,000 appointments, procedures and surgeries would be lost.

Royal College of Nursing members are expected to walk out for a second time on 20 December

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2022-12-17 08:17:12Z
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Nurse and children in Kettering murder case named by police - BBC

Jismi Chacko

The victims in a triple murder inquiry in Northamptonshire are believed to be an NHS nurse and her two children.

Anju Asok, 35, Jeeva Saju, 6, and Janvi Saju, 4, were discovered seriously hurt by police at Petherton Court in Kettering on Thursday morning.

The woman, who worked at the town's general hospital, died at the scene and the two children died in hospital, police said.

A 52-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of murder.

He remains in custody and is being questioned by detectives.

Formal identification of the woman and children is due to take place, police said.

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Senior investigating officer, Det Insp Simon Barnes, said forensic post-mortem examinations would happen over the next two days and a neighbourhood policing team was patrolling the area.

"We continue to work around the clock in order to progress this investigation and establish the timeline of events which led to these tragic deaths," said Mr Barnes.

He said detectives were not tracing anyone else in connection with the deaths.

Ant Saddington/BBC

Kettering General Hospital chief executive Deborah Needham said Ms Asok was an "internationally-trained nurse" who had worked mainly on Barnwell B on one of the hospital's orthopaedic wards since joining in 2021.

"She was a committed and compassionate staff nurse, who was loved and respected by her dear friends and colleagues," said Ms Needham, who said the news was "extremely upsetting".

"All our thoughts are with her friends and family as they come to terms with this sudden loss."

Matthew Cooper/PA Media

Police said the hospital was "offering appropriate professional support" to her colleagues.

Sarah Powell, head teacher at Kettering Park Infant Academy - where the two children attended - said the school was "devastated" by the news and added: "They were delightful and caring children who had many friends at our school.

"They will be sadly missed by us all."

Sarah Haylett, who works as a nurse, laid a teddy bear near the police cordon and told BBC Look East: "Things like this don't happen in Kettering, so [it was] the biggest shock when we heard it on the news yesterday."

Pierino Geranio, who runs a barber shop near to the cul-de-sac, said on Friday: "You speak to people about it and they just can't believe it.

"I come here every day to work and you never expect anything like this - it's so tragic. It's totally terrible, beyond comprehension."

Another local resident, who asked not to be named, said: "It's terrible to hear about anything like this anywhere, but when there's children involved it's beyond words."

Supt Steve Freeman, said: "There are no words to describe how upsetting this incident is, but I want to reassure the public that we have a team of detectives working on the case, absolutely determined to get justice for this woman and the two children."

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Brixton Academy: Three critically hurt in Asake concert crush - BBC

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By Harry Low & Liz Jackson & Vinnie O'Dowd

BBC News

Three people remain in a critical condition after being injured in a crush at a gig at the Brixton O2 Academy that left several others hurt.

The concert, by Afro-pop singer Asake, had to be abandoned part-way through. A "large number of people" tried to force their way inside, the Met Police said.

Social media footage shows people screaming, shouting and struggling.

One of the crush victims said: "I couldn't breathe and I completely passed out. I thought I was dead."

The woman, who was taken to hospital from the venue on Thursday night with suspected internal bleeding, said: "I took my last breath and I could not get any more oxygen. I was so scared."

Videos on social media show the crowd stretching from the road outside to the venue's doors.

The Met Police said more than 4,000 people were in attendance.

In a statement outside Brixton police station on Friday afternoon, Cdr Colin Wingrove said officers were called by staff at the venue at about 21:30 GMT, "following reports that a large number of people were attempting to force entry".

He added: "Some officers provided first aid and CPR to members of the public in order to save life."

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One person has been arrested on suspicion of assaulting a police officer, and Cdr Wingrove said that an incident in which an officer was "apparently seen to push a member of the public" was under review by the force's directorate of professional standards.

It is also to review footage from cameras worn by officers at the scene.

• What happened at the Brixton Academy crush?

The concert was the third of three sold-out shows at the venue by Nigerian singer Asake, sometimes known as Mr Money. Before the gig, he had posted on Twitter asking fans not to try to gain entry unless they had tickets.

In a statement on his Instagram account, Asake said: "My heart is with those who were injured last night and caused any form of discomfort. I pray you get well soonest."

The woman who passed out at the venue spoke to press agency UKNIP after being discharged from hospital. She said: "I was trying to get up, people were stepping on my head, all over me. I had more than 10 people on top of me.

"A man pulled me out so when I woke up I was in the back of the ambulance."

The woman, from Battersea in south London, suffered skinned knees and a black eye. "I'm just grateful that I've come away with no broken bones; they thought I had internal bleeding but thank God they did a CT scan and I'm good."

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Akin Oluwaleimu, 53, from Kirby Cross near Colchester, went to the gig with his daughter Elsie, 14, but decided to return home after things turned "rowdy" outside with "a lot of pushing".

"We didn't get inside. When we were leaving we were told the show had been stopped.

"Two ladies fainted and were carried up high away... I was not worried about myself but I was worried about my daughter's safety."

Another witness, Jay Taylor, 24, from Greenwich in south-east London, described how a minority of apparently ticketless fans tried to force their way into the venue.

She said: "People were literally jumping on each other and even on to the police."

Serious crushes at British gigs are very rare.

In 1974, a 14-year-old David Cassidy fan died at the pop singer's concert at the White City Stadium in west London, with another 700 people injured.

At the Monsters of Rock festival in 1988, two people lost their lives in a crowd surge when Guns N' Roses played at a muddy Castle Donington in Leicestershire.

Earlier this year, the Liverpool M&S Bank Arena - where next year's Eurovision Song Contest will be held - launched an investigation after fans complained of overcrowding at a concert by local hero Jamie Webster, although no injuries were reported.

It has become common for artists to pause their shows if they suspect there may be a problem in the crowd, with heightened awareness of such dangers in the wake of the tragedy at Travis Scott's Astroworld festival, in Texas in November 2021, in which 10 people died.

'Breakout star'

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Asake, whose real name is Ahmed Ololade, was nominated for BBC Radio 1's Sound of 2023 award.

He had been described on the venue's website as "one of the hottest breakout stars from Nigeria" and is touring his debut album, Mr. Money with the Vibe.

Born and raised in Lagos State, his songs are part of the Nigerian street-pop subgenre that blends Afrobeats with Amapiano, pop melodies and street-smart rap lyrics.

He had a breakout hit in 2020 with his single Lady.

Additional reporting by James Kelly.

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