At least 78 killed, 73 hurt after gunshot sparks stampede in Yemen capital

At least 78 people have been killed and dozens more hurt during a stampede in Yemen’s capital city after a crowd of people gathered at an event to receive financial aid were spooked by gunfire and an electrical explosion, according to officials from the Houthi rebel group.

The deadly crush took place in Old City in the center of Sanaa late Wednesday night after hundreds of poor citizens gathered for the distribution at a school, which was informally organized by merchants, according to the Houthi-run Interior Ministry. 

Two witnesses, Abdel-Rahman Ahmed and Yahia Mohsen, told the Associated Press that armed Houthis had fired into the air in an attempt at crowd control. One of the bullets struck an electrical wire, causing it to explode and sending people — including many women and children — running for their lives.

Interior Ministry spokesperson Brig. Abdel-Khaleq al-Aghri blamed the stampede on the merchants who had organized the “random distribution” of funds without coordinating with local authorities.

The tragedy comes just before an Islamic Holy Day, Eid al-Fitr, which marks the end of Ramadan.

Motaher al-Marouni, a senior health official in Sanaa, listed the death toll at 78 and the number of injured as 73, according to rebel satellite TV News channel Al-Masirah.

Grisly videos shared on social media showed scores of bodies lined out in streets after the stampede. Other clips show people screaming for help.

Rebels quickly sealed off the school where the event was held and blocked people, including journalists, from approaching. Two organizers have been detained, rebel officials said.

Sanaa has been under Houthi control since 2014 when the Iran-backed insurgents seized control from Yemen’s internationally recognized government. 

In response, a Saudi-led coalition intervened in 2015 to wrestle control back from the rebels.

Over 150,000 people have died in the conflict which has essentially become a proxy war between Saudi Arabia and Iran and one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises.

Two third of the country — some 21 million people — are in dire need of humanitarian assistance and protection,  according to the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Another 17 million are considered particularly vulnerable.

In February, the United Nations said it had raised only $1.2 billion out of a target of $4.3 billion at a conference aimed at generating funds to ease the humanitarian crisis.

With Post Wires