On April 19 (local time), more than 80 people died, and over a hundred others were injured in a stampede that occurred at an event to distribute financial aid during Ramzan in Sanaa, Yemen. 13 among the injured were in critical condition. As per reports, the crown possibly got spooked by a gunshot and an electrical explosion leading to the stampede.
Though the country is undergoing a long conflict, the incident was unrelated. The event was organised in view of the upcoming Muslim holiday of Eid al-Fitr at a school. As per AP, the cash distribution amount was 5000 Yemeni Riyals or roughly $8 per person.
Trigger warning: Visuals are disturbing.
Breaking: 79 people killed and 110 injured after a stampede in a school in Sanaa, Yemen where poor people gathered to receive charities during Ramadan.
— World Times (@WorldTimesWT) April 20, 2023
📽️@SaadAbedine#Yemen pic.twitter.com/f0ti65IUQB
Associate Press’s report suggested the armed Houthi rebels allegedly fired into the air to control the crowd that struck an electrical wire leading to an explosion. The gunshot, followed by the explosion, caused panic among the crowd, including women and children. Several videos of the incident have gone viral on social media, where dozens of bodies could be seen lying on the ground. Some of them were motionless, while others were screaming for help.
Trigger warning: Visuals are disturbing.
Stampede in Yemen’s 🇾🇪 capital kills at least 90
— Saad Abedine (@SaadAbedine) April 20, 2023
Houthi militiamen fired into the air in an attempt at crowd control, struck an electrical wire, causing it to explode, sparking panic
That's when many including many women & children, began stampedinghttps://t.co/FhbkUDZUX0 https://t.co/PBjGKqWY3u pic.twitter.com/vVOCDFFq2P
Notably, Sanaa has a high density of extremely poor people. The Interior Ministry, controlled by Houthis, said the merchants organised the event. The people were supposed to get $8 (5,000 Yemeni Riyal) per person from a charity that the merchants funded. It is considered auspicious for the rich to hand out cash and food to the poor during Ramzan.
Brig. Abdel-Khaleq al-Aghri, Interior Ministry spokesperson, alleged that the stampede happened due to the “random distribution” of the funds, and there was no coordination between the organisers and the local authorities. He said, “What happened tonight is a tragic and painful accident, as dozens of people were killed due to a large stampede of a number of citizens caused by a random distribution of sums of money by some merchants and without coordination with the Ministry of Interior.”
Houthi officials released a video of the incident’s aftermath that showed bloodstains, shoes and other articles belonging to the victims. Soon after the incident, the school was sealed off by the officials. Two of the organised were held by the Houthis. Investigation into the incident is underway.
Houthi officials have announced a compensation of $2,000 to every family that has lost a relative. Those who got injured would get $400 as compensation.
The conflict in Yemen
In 2014, Iranian-backed Houthis took over the capital city and removed the internationally recognised government. In 2015, the Saudi-led coalition intervened and tried to restore the government. Since then, the conflict has continued in the Middle Eastern country, becoming a proxy war between Iran and Saudi Arabia. Reportedly around 1,50,000 people have lost their lives in the conflict, making it one of the largest human-made disasters worldwide. Diseases like cholera are also common among the population due to abject poverty and lack of basic necessities like food and drinking water.
