Singer Asake 'devastated' after Brixton concert crush killed mother-of-two, 33
17 December 2022, 13:30 | Updated: 17 December 2022, 18:59
The woman killed in a crush at concert in Brixton on Thursday has been named as 33-year-old Rebecca Ikumelo.
Mother-of-two Rebecca Ikumelo, 33, died in hospital this morning.
Newham resident Ikumelo is survived by two nine-year-old boys, according to reports circulating on social media.
Two other women, aged 21 and 23, remain hospitalised in a critical condition.
The force said specialist officers are continuing support Ms Ikumelo's family, and a post-mortem will be carried out tomorrow at Greenwich Public Mortuary.
The crush occurred outside a sold-out concert by Nigerian Afrobeats singer Asake.
The artist apologised to fans yesterday, adding that he was still trying to find out what had happened at the entrance to the venue.
Around 3,000 people without a ticket to the gig were trying to force their way in, and the police were forced to shut down the concert just three songs in.
Read more: Terrified diners rush to safety after fire breaks out at posh London restaurant
Read more: Business sec hopeful dispute will be resolved as rail workers stage second day of industrial action
In a statement released via Instagram this afternoon, Asake said: "I am devastated by the news that Rebecca Ikumelo who was in a critical condition since Thursday has sadly passed away. My sincerest condolences to her loved ones at this time. Let us please keep her family in our prayers.
"I have spoken to them and will continue to do so. 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.
"If you have any relevant information relating to this please do reach out to the Metropolitan Police."
The force said that officers, the London Ambulance Service (LAS) and the London Fire Brigade found a number of people with injuries believed to have been caused by crushing.
Speaking at the scene yesterday, 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.
“An urgent investigation is currently under way 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 the 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.
"We are working incredibly closely with our partners and community members and would like to thank them for their support so far in the investigation. We would also like to thank people for coming forward with information.
“We have set up an online page for the submission of photos and videos. There were around 4,000 potential witnesses present at the time of this incident and we want to urge any members of the public with information to come forward. We need your information as we try to establish what happened as quickly as we can."
