Singer Asake ‘praying’ for people injured in Brixton Academy show crush as four fight for life

‘My heart is with those who were injured last night and caused any form of discomfort,’ the singer wrote on Instagram

Nigerian singer Asake has issued a statement after there was a suspected crush outside his show in south London.

On Friday morning, it was revealed that four people are in a critical condition in hospital after a surge of people tried to enter the Brixton Academy on Thursday night.

Emergency services rushed to the scene and found a number of people with “injuries believed to have been caused by crushing”.

Asake said his heart was with those who had been injured (Walker Banks - press)

The concert was later cancelled due to the incident. In some videos online, the crowd can be heard booing the announcement.

“My heart is with those who were injured last night and caused any form of discomfort,” wrote the singer on his Instagram page on Friday (16 December). “I pray you get well soonest.”

He continued: “I am also in the process of reaching out to individuals. I still do not have the full brief from the venue management themselves as to what led to the disruption at the entrance of The Brixton Academy, but we are thankful that all was peaceful at the end.”

“For my people who enjoyed the beginning of my performance, I am sorry that it was cut short,” he said.

“Thank you for your unbelievable love London. I love you too much! I’m looking forward to seeing you again in a bit!” added the singer.

London Police has launched an urgent investigation into what happened after receiving reports of a large number of people attempting to force entry.

A total of eight people were taken to hospital, with four sustaining critical injuries, the Met said.

Two others with less serious injuries were treated by paramedics at the scene of the incident.

The police have launched an investigation into what happened outside the venue (Walker Banks - press)

“The host came on stage to tell the crowd that the entrance had been breached and we had to leave via the side exits,” one attendee told The Independent.

“Whilst attempting to leave I saw people running inside the venue [and] people fighting.”

“I also saw someone being resuscitated right in front of the main entrance as the police were guiding us out of the venue,” she added.

At the time of writing, no arrests have been madem and detectives have launched an urgent investigation, with cordons remaining outside the venue.

“The scene will be examined by specialist officers, CCTV will be viewed, every witness that we can make contact with will be spoken to and all other lines of enquiry will be followed,” said police.

Any witnesses who are yet to speak with police are asked to call 101 ref 6725/15Dec. Anyone with mobile phone footage that may assist police, are also asked to contact @MetCC on Twitter.