Cairo, April 20, (dpa/GNA) – A stampede for charity handouts in war-ravaged Yemen, has left 78 people dead, the Health Ministry linked to the Houthi rebels said on Thursday.
Seventy-seven others were injured, including 13 in critical condition, at the crush that happened late Wednesday in the capital Sana’a, the ministry said.
The charity event came in the run-up to this week’s Muslim Eid al-Fitr festival, which marks the end of the holy month of Ramadan.
The tragedy resulted from a “haphazard” distribution of cash donations by some merchants without the coordination of authorities or proper organization, said Brigadier Abdel-Khaleg al-Aghri, a spokesman for the rebel-run Interior Ministry.
Two merchants suspected of involvement in the incident were arrested, he said, according to the Houthi-run news agency Saba.
Hundreds of people gathering at a school in central Sana’a to receive the aid offered by a well-known merchant were apparently panicked into a scramble due to an electric short circuit explosion and gunfire at the site, Yemeni news website al-Masdr Online reported, citing witnesses.
There was no confirmation from local authorities.
Sana’a has been under the Houthis’ control since late 2014, after the Iran-aligned rebels seized the city from an internationally recognized government.
In 2015, Saudi Arabia launched a military coalition to support the government forces when the Houthis advanced towards the government’s temporary seat Aden.
The UN considers Yemen’s conflict a humanitarian disaster that has pushed the impoverished country to the brink of famine, leaving many people dependant on charitable donations.
The war has taken a heavy toll on infrastructure in the country.
Last month, Saudi Arabia and its regional rival Iran agreed in a China-brokered deal to restore their ties after a rupture of seven years, a step that has raised hopes for an end to years of bloodshed in Yemen.
GNA