WORLD NEWS | Yemen: At least 85 dead, hundreds injured in stampede

Sana [Yemen]China News Service, April 20 (Xinhua) According to China Daily, a stampede occurred during a charity distribution event held in the Yemeni capital Sanaa on Thursday, killing at least 85 people and injuring more than 322. com.cn.

A Houthi security official said at least “85 people were killed and more than 322 were injured” after the stampede in the Bab al-Yemen area of ​​Sana’a.

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The latest tragedy to hit the poorest country on the Arabian Peninsula comes just days before the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Fitr, which marks the end of the holy month of Ramzan.

Hundreds of people flocked to a school to receive donations totaling 5,000 Yemeni riyals ($13), abc.net.au reported.

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The dead and wounded have been transferred to nearby hospitals and those responsible for distributing supplies have been detained, the Interior Ministry said in a statement on the rebels’ Saba news agency.

Houthi-run al-Masirah TV reported that the group’s interior ministry claimed the disaster was caused by a stampede when local traders distributed cash randomly without organizing or cooperating with the ministry.

The ministry’s spokesman, Abdul Khalik al-Ajiri, was quoted as saying authorities had arrested two businessmen responsible for the uncoordinated distribution of funds and were investigating the incident.

Footage circulated on social media platforms showed bodies lying on the ground of a large complex with people shouting loudly around them.

Many Yemenis destitute by years of conflict are flocking to charity centers seeking basic needs as Eid al-Fitr, one of the most important Muslim holidays, approaches.

Yemen has been mired in civil war since late 2014, when Iran-backed Houthi militias took control of several northern provinces and forced the Saudi-backed Yemeni government out of the capital Sanaa.

The war has killed tens of thousands, displaced four million and pushed Yemen to the brink of starvation. (Arnie)

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from a Syndicated News feed, the body of content may not have been modified or edited by LatestLY staff)