New Delhi: At least 80 people were killed and dozens injured in a stampede at an event to distribute financial aid in Yemen’s capital late Wednesday. An official of the rebel organization Houthi informed about the incident. According to the Houthi-run Interior Ministry, hundreds of poor people gathered at the event at the time of the incident.
Interior Ministry spokesman Brigadier Abdel-Khaliq al-Aghari said the incident occurred due to improperly distributing financial aid without coordination with local authorities. This tragedy happened just before Eid-ul-Fitr. According to media reports, the aid distribution program was organized in a school, after the incident the insurgents sealed the school. Also, people including journalists have been barred from coming here.
Eyewitnesses said that armed Houthi rebels fired in the air to control the crowd and it exploded after hitting a power line. This spread panic among the people present in the program and people started running away. The Interior Ministry said it has detained two organizers and the matter is under investigation.
