85 Killed, Over 300 Injured in Stampede During Eid Charity Event in Yemen

At least 85 people were killed and hundreds others were injured in a stampede at a free food distribution event in war-torn Yemen on Thursday.

This tragedy occurred in the Arabian Peninsula’s poorest country before Eid al-Fitr, which marks the end of the Islamic holy month of Ramadan.

At least “85 were killed and more than 322 were injured” after the stampede in the Bab al-Yemen district of the capital, a Huthi security official said. Women and children were among the dead.

The incident took place inside a school where aid was being distributed. Hundreds of poor people had gathered to receive handouts, according to witnesses.

The dead and injured have been moved to nearby hospitals and those responsible for the distribution were taken into custody, the Huthi’s interior ministry said in a statement carried by the rebel’s Saba news agency.

The Huthi political chief Mahdi al-Mashat said a committee has been formed to investigate. A Huthi security official said three people had been detained on suspicion of involvement.