SANAA:At least 78 people were killed in a stampede at a school where hundreds of people had gathered to receive food and aid.
A spokesman for the Houthi-controlled interior ministry said the stampede in the capital, Sana’a, occurred during the last days of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan during the distribution of charity donations by merchants.
Witnesses and Houthi officials told The Associated Press that the stampede occurred when a crowd apparently feared gunfire and an electrical explosion. Two eyewitnesses told the news agency that armed Houthis fired into the air in an attempt to control the crowd and apparently hit an electric wire, causing it to explode.
According to the hospital’s official, at least 73 people were injured and taken to hospital in Sana’a. The tragedy in Sana’a’s old city was unrelated to Yemen’s eight-year civil war, but is believed to be one of the deadliest in years.
Videos on Houthi television and social media showed crowds of people jammed together, shouting to be evacuated as security personnel pushed people back to control the crowd.
