Nearly 80 Yemenis perish in a Ramadan crush at a Sanaa school.
April 20, 2023Tweet
![](https://news.wetube.org/static/images/2816765fb1de46c6a11e78ed4976dc1a.jpg)
At least 78 people have been killed in a crush at a school in Yemen's
rebel-held capital, Sanaa, during a charity event for Ramadan. The
incident began when hundreds of people crowded into a narrow street in
the Bab al-Yemen area late on Wednesday to get handouts of $9 (£7) from a
merchant. Video showed people screaming for help and others trying to
pull them free. Later footage appeared to show dozens of bodies on the
ground, as well as shoes and clothing strewn over steps. Officials from
the rebel Houthi movement accused organisers of failing to co-ordinate
with local authorities and said they had been detained.
Yemen has been devastated by a civil war that escalated in 2015, when
the Iran-aligned Houthis seized control of large parts of the west of
the country from the internationally-recognised government and a
Saudi-led coalition intervened in an effort to restore its rule. Poor
people made their way to the Maeen School in central Sanaa on Wednesday
night after being told that a local merchant would be handing out zakat
The Saudi-led coalition's military campaign against the Houthi rebels
and blockade of the country caused a crush when the main gate of the
school was opened, leading to overcrowding and a crush when the gate was
opened. Two witnesses reported that Houthi forces fired into the air in
an attempt to crowd control, but witnesses told the BBC that they fired
shots into the air after the crush began in order to clear a path to
the casualties. Thirteen people were in a critical condition in hospital
on Thursday, while the rest were discharged after receiving treatment.
The president of the Houthis' Supreme Political Council, Mahdi
al-Mashat, expressed his condolences to the victims' families and
ordered the formation of a committee to investigate the incident. The
head of the Houthis' General Zakat Authority meanwhile said it would pay
$2,000 (£1,600) to each family who lost a relative, while the injured
would get around $400 (£322).
Saudi-arabia Yemen Saudi - Ramadan
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