A stampede at a charity event in Yemen has killed over 85 people and injured hundreds more. The event was held in the capital, Sanaa, where people had gathered to receive cash handouts of around $8. Videos on social media showed bodies lying on the road, with people climbing over them to try to make their way through the crowd. The stampede was caused by overcrowding in a narrow street leading to the school’s back entrance. Eyewitnesses claim gunfire caused panic.
Yemen is one of the world’s poorest countries, with over two-thirds of the population living below the poverty line. The country has been in civil war for over eight years, which has caused one of the world’s worst humanitarian tragedies. The conflict began in 2014 when Iran-backed Huthi rebels seized Sanaa, prompting a Saudi-led coalition to intervene the following year to prop up the internationally recognised government.
The tragic incident comes just days before Eid al-Fitr, a Muslim holiday celebrated around the world by feasting to mark the end of the fasting month of Ramadan.
