A woman has died after a crowd crush at a concert at the O2 Academy Brixton, police have said.
Rebecca Ikumelo, 33, was one of three people critically injured after fans attempted to gain entry without tickets to a show by Nigerian artist Asake at the south London venue on Thursday.
The Metropolitan Police said Ms Ikumelo, from Newham, east London, died in hospital on Saturday, while two other women, aged 21 and 23, remain in a critical condition.
Posting to Facebook on Saturday afternoon, one man paid tribute to the death of his “favouite niece.”
Temitope Olodo said: “Today my favourite niece, Rebecca Tosin Ikumelo, died from injuries sustained from the Asake concert saga…O Tosin! You are so full of life and very protective of me. You have a smile that brightens up the room!I am so sad….”
Speaking at the scene on Friday, Chief Superintendent Colin Wingrove, policing commander for Lambeth and Southwark, 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.”
Ms Ikumelo’s death comes after an MP called for answers to what led to the crush, stating that “ticketing and security procedures have not performed as they should have”.
Florence Eshalomi, Labour MP for Vauxhall, said in a statement posted on Twitter on Friday: “It is very clear ticketing and security procedures have not performed as they should have for this incident to have occurred.
“We need answers about exactly how this happened and safeguards against it in future. This will be fully investigated by Specialist Crime detectives, supported by Lambeth Council’s Licensing Unit.”
“This is a deeply concerning incident and has turned an experience which should have been a celebration into a very sad day.
“My thoughts are with those caught up in the crush last night, in particular those that remain in hospital. My central hope is for their full recovery.”
Taking to Twitter today, Ms Eshalomi said: “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.
“My prayers to the other two women who remain in a critical condition.”
London mayor Sadiq Khan also shared a tribute for Ms Ikumelo, and said City Hall were in contact with venues and authorities across London “to ensure nothing like this happens again.”
He wrote on Twitter: “I am heartbroken by the tragic death of Rebecca Ikumelo – who has very sadly died following the awful events on Thursday night in Brixton. Rebecca had her whole life ahead of her and on behalf of all Londoners, I would like to extend my condolences to her family and loved ones.”
“My thoughts remain with everyone affected by this dreadful incident. It’s vital that the investigation into what happened concludes as soon as possible.”
Nigerian artist Asake has said he is “devastated” and “overwhelmed with grief” over the death of Ms Ikumelo, who has died after a crowd crush at his concert at the O2 Academy Brixton.
Posted to Instagram, he said he had spoken to the 33-year-old’s family and will continue to do so.
The he incident had been referred to the Independent Office for Police Conduct under standard practice following incidents where police had been in attendance and members of the public had been seriously injured.
Chief Superintendent Colin Wingrove said an “urgent investigation” was underway.
On Friday, he said: “I’d like to extend my sympathies to all those who have been affected by last night’s incident and those that have been injured. Having seen some of the really upsetting images on social media our thoughts are with them.
“An urgent investigation is currently underway led by detectives from our Specialist Crime Command and cordons remain in place as officers continue to work at the scene.
“This is still a fast moving and evolving picture and we are working to establish the events that led up to last night’s incident.
“We are also aware of a vast amount of footage on social media and of course this will be examined as part of the investigation along with footage from officers’ body-worn video cameras.”
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Kaynak: briturkish.com
