SANA, Yemen — A crowd apparently spooked by gunfire and an electrical explosion stampeded at an event to distribute financial aid during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan in Yemen’s capital, Sana, late Wednesday, killing at least 78 people and injuring at least 73 others, according to witnesses and Houthi rebel officials.
The tragedy was the deadliest in years that was not related to Yemen’s long conflict, and came ahead of the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Fitr, which marks the end of Ramadan later this week.
Armed Houthis fired into the air in an attempt at crowd control, apparently striking an electrical wire and causing it to explode, according to two witnesses, Abdel-Rahman Ahmed and Yahia Mohsen. That sparked a panic, and people, including many women and children, began stampeding, they said.
Video posted on social media showed dozens of bodies, some motionless, and others screaming as people tried to help. Separate footage of the aftermath released by Houthi officials showed bloodstains, shoes and victims’ clothing scattered on the ground. Investigators were seen examining the area.
The crush took place in the Old City in the center of Sana, where hundreds of poor people had gathered for a charity event organized by merchants, according to the Houthi-run Interior Ministry. Distributing financial aid is a ritual during Ramadan, when the faithful fast from dawn to dusk.
People had gathered to receive about $10 each from a charity funded by local businessmen, witnesses said. Wealthy people and businessmen often hand out cash and food, especially to the poor during Ramadan.
Brig. Abdel-Khaleq al-Aghri, an Interior Ministry spokesman, blamed the crush on the “random distribution” of funds without coordination with local authorities.
The rebels quickly sealed off a school where the event was being held and barred people, including journalists, from approaching.
The Interior Ministry said it had detained two organizers and that an investigation was underway.
The Houthis said they would pay some $2,000 in compensation to each family who lost a relative, while the injured would get around $400.
The Iranian-backed Houthis descended from their northern stronghold in 2014, removed the internationally recognized government and took control of Yemen’s capital. The Houthi move prompted a Saudi-led coalition to intervene in 2015 to try to restore the internationally recognized government.
The conflict has turned into a proxy war in recent years between Saudi Arabia and Iran, with the war killing more than 150,000 people, including fighters and civilians, and creating one of the world’s worst humanitarian disasters.
This month, after eight years of civil war, a new round of talks raised a glimmer of hope for a breakthrough. The negotiations in Sana brought together Saudi Arabia and the Houthis, who control Yemen’s capital and northwest.
Negotiators are seeking the reinstatement of a truce and a complete withdrawal of foreign forces from Yemen. A deal could open more flights from the Sana airport, allow thousands of people to travel for lifesaving medical treatment, allow the resumption of Yemeni oil exports and lift restrictions on ports, making more essential goods available and easing inflation.