According to Houthi officials, a charity giveaway on Thursday caused one of the bloodiest stampedes in a decade, resulting in more than 80 casualties and hundreds of injuries in war-torn Yemen. Days before Eid al-Fitr, the Muslim holiday that celebrates the conclusion of the fasting month of Ramadan, the latest tragedy to hit the poorest nation on the Arabian Peninsula occurred.
A Houthi security officer reported that following the stampede in the Bab al-Yemen neighborhood of the city, at least 85 people died in a stampede and more than 322 were injured.” On the condition of anonymity, because he was not licensed to speak to journalists, he told AFP that women and children were among the victims.
A second health authority verified the death toll. According to an AFP reporter in Houthi-controlled Sanaa, the incident occurred inside a classroom where help was being distributed. Witnesses reported that hundreds of people had gathered to accept free stuff.
The Interior Ministry said in a statement distributed by the rebels’ Saba news agency that the dead and injured had been brought to local hospitals, and those in charge of the distribution had been arrested.
While the Ministry did not give an exact death toll, it stated that “dozens of people suffered fatal injuries due to a stampede during a random distribution of sums of money by some merchants.”
Mahdi al-Mashat, the political head of the Houthi rebels, declared that an inquiry committee had been established. According to a Houthi security officer, three persons have been seized on suspicion of being involved.
Extreme Poverty
Videos going viral on social media showed people rushing around and bodies lying on the ground of an extensive complex. AFP could not independently verify the footage. Families went to hospitals despite heightened safety precautions, but many were turned away because senior authorities were also visiting the dead and injured.
According to an AFP correspondent in Sanaa, large masses gathered outside one hospital gate. According to the correspondent, security personnel was deployed around the school where the event occurred. They made it impossible for family members to find their loved ones inside the facility.
A Saudi-led coalition joined the following year to support the internationally cognized government when the Houthi rebels, who Iran backed, took control of Sanaa in 2014.
Even after the six-month truce’s expiration in October of last year, fighting significantly decreased. However, the war sparked what the UN calls one of the biggest humanitarian tragedies in history.
The UN estimates that more than two-thirds of the population are below the poverty line, especially government workers in Houthi-controlled areas who have not received pay in years. According to the UN, two-thirds of the population, or more than 2.17 crore people, require humanitarian aid this year.
Almost 900 prisoners were released over the weekend as part of a significant prisoner swap between the country’s warring groups, but the resulting tragedy decreased the celebration.
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