SGGPO
According to the Health Department of the Houthi forces controlling the capital Sanaa of Yemen, at least 85 people were killed and more than 330 injured in a stampede that occurred on the evening of April 19 (local time) at a relief center in the Bab Al-Yemen area of Sanaa.
Anis Al-Subaihi, the official spokesman for the Houthi health ministry, said medical teams were immediately deployed to the scene and took the injured to hospitals in the capital for treatment.
Houthi officials confirmed that the disaster occurred when people jostled to receive cash handouts distributed by local merchants at an event organized without coordination with the Houthi government. Two merchants involved in the incident have now been arrested.
Authorities are investigating this incident.
Yemen has been in conflict since late 2014, when Houthi forces took control of several northern provinces, forcing the Yemeni government to flee the capital, Sanaa. The conflict has killed tens of thousands of people, displaced 4 million and pushed Yemen to the brink of famine.
At the moment, there are often large crowds of people flocking to charity centers to ask for support to meet basic needs as Eid al-Fitr - one of the most important festivals of Muslims - approaches.
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