Four people remain in critical condition after large crowds tried to get into a concert venue in South London, police have said.
Eight people were rushed to hospital following reports of crowd trouble at the O2 Academy in Brixton last night just before 10pm.
Many were there to see Afrobeats artist Asake who was forced to cancel his show.
Metropolitan Police confirmed in a statement that four of those individuals are in critical condition as they continue to investigate what happened.
In a statement released earlier this morning, a spokesperson said "a large number of people were attempting to force entry to the venue".
Did you witness the scenes outside Asake's gig at the O2 in Brixton? Were you caught up in the crowd? Email webnews@mirror.co.uk
A number of people were found with injuries "believed to have been caused by crushed", they added.
Video footage of the event has emerged on social media and appears to show clashes between fans and police, along with a large emergency service presence at the scene.
Other videos show show organisers telling a booing crowd they had to cancel the show after "3,000 people have broken the doors outside".
Commander Ade Adelekan warned in a statement this morning that "where force has been used by police officers, those officers know they have to be accountable for their actions".
There have been no arrests at this time.
Asake said in a statement this morning that he was praying for those who were hurt last night.
The Nigerian singer wrote on Instagram: “My heart is with those who were injured last night and caused any form of discomfort. I pray you get well soonest.
“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. Thank you for your unbelievable love London. I love you too much! I’m looking forward to seeing you again in a bit!”
One man who lives next to the venue described how everything "kicked off" when police reportedly tried to control crowds.
John, 32, said: "I saw everyone at the front door of Brixton Academy, (then) everything just stopped,” he said. “It looked like the gig had been cancelled, and then some commotion, some pushing and shoving, and the police came shortly after. That’s when it kicked off and became aggressive."
He added that “you could tell there was tension”.
He said that people tried to get into the O2, breaking the glass of the front doors.
He said: "People at the front of the Brixton Academy were really pushing and shoving and trying to break through the door and force their way in. The glass of the doors was broken.”
Another witness saw people "yelling" at each other outside the O2, but "nothing that looked like people were getting violent".
Anna, 21, who lives beside the O2, said: "I can see the O2 from my window.
"I just saw a large crowd. I could see all the police there. I could see the police trying to either get the people out of the O2, or stopping them from coming in. It didn't look incredibly intense. I saw more police come in. I saw people scatter and run at one point. I couldn't tell for what.
"I saw ambulances come in. I saw a few small fights break out, but nothing that looked like people were getting violent or very hurt. I watched until the end until the point that they started putting barriers up, and breaking up the crowd."
She said she saw people yelling at each other.
"And again, I heard a couple of fights, people yelling at each other, but nothing intensely scary sounding," she said.
A London Ambulance Service spokesperson said: “We were called at 22.06pm on Thursday 15 December to reports of people injured at the Brixton Academy.
“We sent a number of resources to the scene, including eight ambulances, members of our hazardous area response team (HART) and tactical response team, three incident response officers, two advanced paramedic practitioners, and a medic in a fast response car. We also dispatched a team from London’s Air Ambulance.
“We treated 10 patients at the scene. Eight of them were taken to hospital and two discharged.”
The police statement in full from the Metropolitan Police:
Detectives are investigating the circumstances which led to four people sustaining critical injuries in Brixton.
Police were called at 21:35hrs on Thursday, 15 December to the O2 Academy on Stockwell Road, SW9 following reports that a large number of people were attempting to force entry to the venue.
Officers, London Ambulance Service (LAS) and London Fire Brigade attended and found a number of people with injuries believed to have been caused by crushing.
Eight people were taken by ambulance to hospital, four of whom remain in a critical condition. LAS treated two other less seriously injured people at the scene.
An urgent investigation is under way led by detectives from Specialist Crime. Cordons remain in place at the location as officers continue work at the scene. Nobody has been arrested.
Commander Ade Adelekan, Met Police Gold Commander, said: “This is an extremely upsetting incident which has left four people critically ill in hospital. My thoughts and prayers are with them and their families.
“A police investigation has been launched, and it will be as thorough and as forensic as necessary to establish exactly what happened last night.
"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.
“Officers are remaining in the area to provide reassurance to the local community in and around Brixton. If you have any information or concerns, please speak with them.
“I am aware of video being shared on social media. I would ask people to be sensible about what they share, and not to post material that will be upsetting to those affected by this incident.
"Where force has been used by police officers, those officers know they have to be accountable for their actions. The Met’s Directorate of Professional Standards will view all material, including Body Worn Video footage from the officers at the scene.
"In relation to a clip being widely shared, I can confirm that no police dogs were deployed to the location.”
Any witnesses who are yet to speak with police are asked to call 101 ref 6725/15Dec.
If you have mobile phone footage that may assist police, please make contact via @MetCC on Twitter. We will provide further details about ways to share footage in due course.
