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Crowds flock to Yemen cash payment event ‘pressurized’… at least 78 deaths

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On the 19th (local time), people gather at the scene of a stampede accident that occurred at a relief distribution center in Sanaa, the capital of Yemen, in a TV screen capture photo. At least 80 people died and 220 others were injured as merchants handed out unscheduled money at the relief center. Meanwhile, eyewitnesses also testified that the Houthi rebels shot into the air to control the crowd and exploded when it touched a wire, causing a frightened crowd to gather in one place. 2023.04.20. Sana = AP/Newsis

At least 78 people were crushed to death as hundreds of people gathered at a cash handout event in Yemen, a Middle Eastern country in the middle of civil war.

According to foreign media such as Reuters, on the 19th (local time) ahead of the last day of Ramadan, the Islamic holy month, hundreds of people flocked to a cash donation charity event held at a school in Sanaa, Yemen, killing at least 78 people and injuring 73 others. The death toll is expected to rise as the number of seriously injured is also high. All of them came after hearing that 9,000 Yemeni rials (about 12,000 won) would be distributed per person at this event. Yemen, which has been in a civil war since 2014, is the 13th poorest country out of 191 countries in the world with a purchasing power parity (PPP) per capita of $2078 as of 2021.

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Witnesses claimed that the Houthi rebels who controlled the area were controlling people and that shooting into the air made the situation worse. When a transformer on a utility pole that had been shot exploded, panicked crowds rushed to the other side.

Video of the incident posted on social media shows the horrific situation as people flock to the temporary stage where money and relief goods are handed out, screaming and waving their hands in the air to request help. Bodies were strewn all over the street where people had managed to escape, and piles of shoes and clothes that had lost their owners were piled up.

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The Houthi rebels said they arrested two merchants who hosted the charity event and are investigating the details. It also announced that it would pay 2,000 dollars (about 2.66 million won) and 400 dollars (about 530,000 won), respectively, to families and injured people who lost their families in the accident.

Yemen has been in a civil war and political unrest for over eight years after Iranian-backed Houthi rebels ousted the pro-Saudi Arabian government from Sana’a in 2014. Recently, the situation has worsened as the proxy war between Iran and Saudi Arabia has spread, and residents are suffering from extreme economic difficulties. According to the United Nations, the cumulative death toll from the civil war reaches 150,000, and 21 million people, or about 70% of Yemen’s population, are receiving aid.

Cairo =

Source: Donga

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