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Almost 80 die in Ramadan crush in Yemen's capital Sanaa Yemen: Almost 80 die in Ramadan crush at Sanaa school
(about 3 hours later)
Those responsible for the distribution have been detained Photos released by Houthi authorities showed clothes draped on steps at the scene of the crush
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. At least 78 people have been killed in a crush at a school in Yemen's rebel-held capital, Sanaa, during a charity event for Ramadan, officials say.
TV footage shows a crowd of people unable to move and many in distress in the Bab al-Yemen area of the city. The incident began after hundreds crowded into a narrow street in the Bab al-Yemen area late on Wednesday to get handouts of $9 (£7) from a merchant.
Hundreds of people reportedly crowded into Maeen School late on Wednesday to receive donations amounting to about $9 (£7; €8) per person. Video showed people screaming for help and others trying to pull them free.
The rebel Houthi movement has controlled Sanaa since 2015. Later footage appeared to show dozens of bodies on the ground, as well as shoes and clothing strewn over steps.
Video posted on social media shows people screaming with dozens of bodies on the ground, some of which are not moving. Other people are seen trying to help. Officials from the rebel Houthi movement accused organisers of failing to co-ordinate with local authorities and said they had been detained.
Two local businessmen who arranged the event had been arrested and an investigation was under way, the interior ministry said. Yemen has been devastated by a civil war that escalated in 2015, when the Iran-aligned Houthis seized control of large parts of the west of the country from the internationally-recognised government and a Saudi-led coalition intervened in an effort to restore its rule.
A spokesman for the ministry blamed the crush on the "random distribution" of funds without co-ordination with local officials. The fighting has reportedly left more than 150,000 people dead and triggered one of the world's worst humanitarian crises, with two thirds of the population - 21.7 million people - in need of some form of aid.
Many people were also injured with 13 in a critical situation, a health official in Sanaa said. Poor people made their way to the Maeen School in central Sanaa on Wednesday night after being told that a local merchant would be handing out zakat (alms) to mark the end of the Islamic holy month of Ramadan.
"Women and children were among the dead," a Houthi security official told AFP news agency on the condition of anonymity because he was not authorised to speak to journalists. The head of the Houthis' Supreme Revolutionary Council, Mohammed Ali al-Houthi, posted a photo on Twitter apparently showing hundreds of people queuing outside the school before the crush.
The Associated Press news agency quoted 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. Mr Houthi said the merchant received people via a back gate that was reached by a narrow street and steps. This resulted in overcrowding and a crush when the gate was opened, he added.
The rebels are said to have then sealed off the school and barred people, including journalists, from approaching. He also blamed the Saudi-led coalition for causing an "economic catastrophe" with its military campaign against the rebels and blockade of the country.
The Houthis have reportedly agreed to pay $2,000 (£1,600) to each family who lost a relative, while the injured would get around $400 (£322). The Associated Press quoted two witnesses who said Houthi forces fired into the air in an attempt at crowd control, apparently hitting an electrical wire which resulted in an explosion. This caused panic that led to the crush, they added.
Yemen basics However, witnesses told the BBC that the Houthis fired shots into the air after the crush began in order to clear a path to the casualties.
Yemen has been devastated by a conflict that escalated in 2015, when the Houthis seized large parts of the country and a Saudi-led coalition intervened in support of the Yemeni government One of the witnesses said the crowd was forced to gather in the narrow street because the school's main gate was closed. The crush happened as people in the queue were pushed up the steps into others who had received their handouts and were trying to leave, he added.
More than 150,000 people have died in the conflict, which has widely been seen as a proxy war between Saudi Arabia and Iran The health ministry said 13 people injured in the crush were in a critical condition in hospital
More than 23 million people - three-quarters of the population - are in need of some form of aid A health ministry official said women and children were among the 78 people killed in the crush.
Yemen's internationally-recognised government is now based in Aden Another 77 people were injured, according to the ministry. Thirteen were in a critical condition in hospital on Thursday, while the rest were discharged after receiving treatment, it added.
The event happened during the final days of the Islamic holy month of Ramadan. "It was a huge crowd. They fell on me, and I got hurt," a boy who was injured in the crush told rebel-run Al-Masirah TV at one hospital.
Last week a major prisoner swap between warring sides in Yemen started, seen as part of stepped-up efforts to end the devastating eight-year conflict. The president of the Houthis' Supreme Political Council, Mahdi al-Mashat, expressed his condolences to the victims' families and ordered the formation of a committee to investigate the incident, according to Al-Masirah.
Mohamed Ali al-Houthi, head of the Houthis' Supreme Revolutionary Committee, blamed Wednesday's crush on the country's humanitarian crisis. The head of the Houthis' General Zakat Authority meanwhile said it would pay $2,000 (£1,600) to each family who lost a relative, while the injured would get around $400 (£322).
"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 said on Twitter.
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