At least 85 people were killed and hundreds more were injured in a crash at a Ramadan cash distribution in Yemen early Thursday morning, as the impoverished country witnessed one of its worst tragedies just as optimism was growing regarding its bloody civil war.
Large crowds congregated at a school in Sanaa, the rebel-held capital of Yemen, to receive gifts of 5,000 rials (approximately $8) for the end of Ramadan. As a result of the incident, three individuals were detained.
Al Masirah TV, which is affiliated with the Iran-backed Houthi rebels, broadcast harrowing footage of a scream-filled, immobile throng that was unable to move while others attempted to pull victims from the crush.
As the panic persisted, other images depicted bodies on the ground. The scene was then littered with abandoned sandals, garments, and a crutch. While an investigator in white protective gear gathered evidence.
At least “85 were killed and over 322 were injured,” a Houthi security official told AFP on the condition of anonymity, adding that approximately 50 were in critical condition.
“Women and children were among the dead,” the official stated. The death toll was verified by a health official.
The incident occurs just before Eid al-Fitr and dampens the mood in the poorest country on the Arabian Peninsula following a week of peace negotiations and the exchange of nearly 1,000 prisoners.
The Houthis, who seized Sanaa in 2014, is battling a military coalition headed by Saudi Arabia that intervened in March 2015 to reinstall the deposed government.
Hundreds of thousands of people have been killed directly or indirectly by the conflict. And millions have been driven to the edge of famine. The Saudis and the Houthis met last week to discuss a ceasefire and reconciliation process, which is gaining momentum.
People congregated in great numbers.
According to eyewitnesses, crowds gathered to the school in Sanaa’s famous Bab Al-Yemen area to get freebies from a businessman. AFP was unable to confirm reports of gunfire.
Mohamed Ali al-Houthi, the leader of the Houthi’s Supreme Revolutionary Committee, blamed “overcrowding,” stating that a crowded street led to the school’s rear entrance.
After the gates opened, the crowd descended a narrow stairway to the distribution courtyard.
“Citizens were informed a week ago that sums of money would be disbursed without ID verification,” said one witness.
People congregated in large numbers, the gate opened, and due to the large crowd, a stampede occurred.
The political leader of the Houthis, Mahdi al-Mashat, stated that an investigation committee had been constituted. And a Houthi security official stated that three suspects had been detained.
After the stampede, many families tried to enter hospitals, but prominent officials were visiting the dead and injured.
A Sanaa correspondent for AFP observed large masses in front of a hospital entrance.
Large security forces prohibited family members from accessing the school to find their loved ones.
One hospital’s footage showed dazed, bandaged patients recovering in a ward, some with visible head and extremity wounds.
Yemen is no stranger to tragedy, the majority of which is due to its brutal conflict. In 2016, a coalition airstrike killed about 140 funeral attendees, and in 2018, a bus strike killed dozens of youngsters.
In January 2022, at least 70 people were killed in an airstrike on a prison in Saada, the Houthis’ home city, and in March 2021, 45 people were killed in a fire at a migrant center in Sanaa caused by Houthi forces discharging teargas.
