Dozens Die In Ramadan Crush In Yemen’s Capital Sanaa

At least 78 people have been killed in a crush at a school in the Yemeni capital Sanaa during a distribution of charity for Ramadan, officials say. Video footage on social media shows chaotic scenes after the incident in the Bab-al-Yemen area of the city. Reports indicate that hundreds of people crowded into the school to receive donations which amounted to about $9 (£7) per person. Houthi rebels have run the city since they drove out the government in 2015.

Those responsible for the distribution have been detained and an investigation is under way, the interior ministry said. A spokesman for the ministry blamed the crush on the “random distribution” of funds without co-ordination with local officials. Many people were also injured with 13 in a critical situation, a health official in Sanaa said. Women and children were among the dead, a Houthi security official told local news on the condition of anonymity because he was not authorised to speak to journalists.

The media quotes two eyewitnesses who said Houthi fighters had fired into the air in an attempt at crowd control, apparently striking an electrical wire which resulted in an explosion. This caused panic that led to the crush, they added. The event happened during the final days of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, which is marked by a period of fasting.

This screengrab shows abandoned footwear and other belongings lie on the ground after a stampede in Sanaa, Yemen, on April 19.

Mohamed Ali al-Houthi, head of the Houthi supreme evolutionary committee, blamed Wednesday’s crush on the country’s humanitarian crisis. We hold the countries of aggression responsible for what happened and for the bitter reality that the Yemeni people live in because of the aggression and blockade, he post on social media.