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Almost 80 pipo die inside stampede to collect Ramadan give-away

Authorities don detain pipo wey dey responsible for di stampede

Thu, 20 Apr 2023 Source: BBC

At least 78 pipo don die inside one stampede for one school for Yemeni capital, Sanaa during one distribution of charity for Ramadan, officials tok.

TV footage show crowd of pipo wey no fit move and many in distress for di Bab al-Yemen area of di city.

Report tok say hundreds of pipo bin gada for di school on Wednesday evening to receive donations wey amount to about $9 (£7; €8) per person.

Di rebel Houthi movement don control Sanaa since 2015.

Video on top social media show as pipo dey scream, wit dozens of bodies wey lie for ground, some of which no dey move. Some oda pipo dey try help.

Di interior ministry tok say two local businessmen wey arrange di event don chop arrest and investigation don start.

One tok-tok pesin for di ministry blame di stampede on di "random distribution" of funds without co-ordination wit local officials.

Many pipo also injure, wit 13 pio for critical situation, one health official for Sanaa tok.

"Women and children dey among di pipo wey die," one Houthi security official tell AFP news agency on di condition of anonymity because e no dey authorised to speak to journalists.

Wetin cause di crush?

Di Associated Press news agency bin quote two eyewitnesses wey tok say Houthi fighters bin fire into di air as dem dey attempt to control di crowd, apparently di bullet hit electrical wire wey result to explosion.

Dis cause panic wey lead to di stampede, dem add.

Dem say di rebels bin seal off di school and no allow pipo, including journalists, to enta.

Di Houthis don reportedly agree to pay $2,000 (£1,600) to each family wey lost relative, while di injured go get around $400 (£322).

Al-Masdar Online, one anti-Houthi local news outlet, also quote one source wey dey near di scene for di time e happun, e tok say im hear heard sporadic gunfire from several automatic rifles, followed by a flash of light wey short circuit cause, wey make pipo panic and wey lead to stampede.

E say im no dey sure of di source of the gunfire, but add: "Di Houthis no dey innocent for dis incident."

Di source also note say di rebels don previously try to stop local merchant from distributing zakat (alms) and demand say dem must hand am over to di Houthi General Zakat Authority, and di merchant refuse to do.

BBC no dey able to verify di reports of gunfire.

Houthi Supreme Revolutionary Committee react to di stampede

Di event happun during di final days of di Islamic holy month of Ramadan.

Last week, one major prisoner swap between warring sides for Yemen start, e dey seen as part of stepped-up efforts to end di devastating eight-year conflict.

Mohamed Ali al-Houthi, head of di Houthis' Supreme Revolutionary Committee, don blame di Wednesday crush on di kontri humanitarian crisis.

"We hold di kontris of aggression responsible for wetin happun and for di bitter reality wey di Yemeni pipo dey live in because of di aggression and blockade," e tok on Twitter.

Fotos from di crush

Plenty fotos no come out of Yemen afta last night stampede, and most those we see dey too graphic to share.

Authorities don launch investigation into di cause, while many relatives of those wey injure or die dey anxiously wait for news.

Source: BBC