People stampeded at an event to distribute financial aid in Yemen’s capital late Wednesday, and at least 78 were killed and dozens more suffered injuries, a Houthi official said.
The crush took place in the Old City in the center of Sanaa when hundreds of poor people gathered at an event organized by merchants, according to the Houthi-run Interior Ministry.
The ministry’s spokesman, Brig. Abdel-Khaleq al-Aghri, blamed the crush on the “random distribution” of funds without coordination with local authorities. The tragedy came ahead of the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Fitr, which marks the end of the Islamic holy month Ramadan later this week.
Dozens of injured people were taken to nearby hospitals. Motaher al-Marouni, a senior health official in Sanaa, gave the death toll and said at least 13 were seriously hurt, according the Houthi rebels’ Al-Masirah satellite TV channel.