At least 29 people die in stampede at religious festival in Liberia

A woman looks through the shoes of the victims after the stampede in Monrovia (Augustine D Wallace via AP)

At least 29 people in Liberia, including 11 children and a pregnant woman, have died in a stampede of worshippers at a Christian ceremony in a densely populated area of the capital, Monrovia, officials said on Thursday.

The stampede erupted when a gang of thugs armed with knives attacked some of the hundreds attending the ceremony at about 9pm on Wednesday, police spokesman Moses Carter told the Associated Press.