Witnesses said armed Houthis fired in the air in an attempt to control the crowd.
Sanaa, Yemen:
At least 85 people were killed in a stampede during a charity event at a school in Yemen’s capital, Sanaa. News agency Reuters quoted eyewitnesses as saying that hundreds of people had gathered at the school to collect a donation of 5,000 Yemeni riyals (Rs 1,642).
The stampede occurred during the distribution of charitable donations by traders during the last days of the holy month of Ramadan.
Eyewitnesses said that in an attempt to control the crowd, armed Houthis fired into the air, apparently hitting an electric wire and exploding. This created panic and people started fighting.
A Houthi official said at least “85 people were killed and more than 322 wounded” after a stampede in the capital’s Bab al-Yaman district.
Footage aired on Al Masirah TV showed bodies scattered throughout the compound, which was littered with sandals and scraps of clothing after the area had been cleared.
The school has been sealed and families have also been barred from entering the school. An AFP correspondent in Sanaa also saw huge crowds descending on the hospital entrance.
More than eight years of civil war in Yemen has drawn what the United Nations has described as one of the world’s worst humanitarian tragedies.
The conflict began in 2014 when Iran-backed Houthi rebels captured Sanaa, prompting a Saudi-led coalition to intervene the following year to support the internationally recognized government.
Fighting has reduced dramatically since six months of a UN-brokered truce last year, even after it expired in October.