ABUJA, Nigeria (AP) — Several children in southwestern Nigeria were killed Wednesday in a stampede during a holiday fair organized by a school, the local governor said.

The stampede occurred at the Islamic High School Basorun in Oyo state, and security forces have been deployed to prevent further deaths, Oyo state Gov. Seyi Makinde said.

“We sympathise with the parents whose joy has suddenly been turned to mourning due to these deaths,” the governor said.