Yemen: Over 85 killed, 100 injured in stampede during charity distribution in Sanaa

The death toll from a stampede during a charity distribution in Yemen’s capital Sanaa on Thursday has risen to 85, AFP reported. Over 100 people have also been injured in the incident.

The dead and injured have been moved to nearby hospitals and those responsible for the distribution were taken into custody, the interior ministry run by Houthi rebels said.

Authorities have called for an investigation.

Houthis fired shots in the air, caused panic: Eyewitnesses

Meanwhile, eyewitnesses told AP that armed Houthis fired shots in the air in an attempt to control the crowd. The gunshots apparently struck an electrical wire and caused it to explode. That sparked panic, and people began stampeding, they added.

The Houthi’s interior ministry said “a random distribution of sums of money by some merchants”.

The distribution in the Bab al-Yemen area of Houthi-controlled Sanaa came days ahead of the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Fitr, which marks the end of the holy month of Ramadan.

Videos circulating on social media showed bodies lying on the ground inside a large complex as people clamoured around them.

Yemen’s conflict broke out in 2014, when Iran-backed Houthi rebels seized Sanaa, prompting a Saudi-led coalition to intervene the following year to prop up the internationally recognised government.

Fighting in Yemen has triggered what the United Nations describes as one of the world’s worst humanitarian tragedies.

More than 21.7 million — two-thirds of the population — need humanitarian assistance this year, according to the UN.

With inputs from agencies

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