At least 78 dead and dozens injured in a stampede in Yemen

The authorities announce the arrest of two merchants in charge of distributing aid that caused the stampede

MADRID, 20 Abr. (EUROPA PRESS) -

At least 78 people have died and dozens have been injured after a stampede occurred during the distribution of humanitarian aid.

The balance has been confirmed by the director of the Department of Health in Sana'a, Mutahar al Maruni, who has indicated that among the injured there are 13 in critical condition, according to what he has declared to the Al Masirah television channel.

The spokesman for the Houthi Ministry of the Interior, General Abdul Kaliq al Ajri, has considered this incident a "tragic and painful accident in which dozens of people have died due to a stampede during the random distribution of sums of money by some merchants without coordination with the Ministry", according to the aforementioned chain.

Al Ajri, who has indicated that the injured have been transferred to hospitals, has announced that two merchants have been arrested, while the Public Ministry "has immediately mobilized" to carry out the investigations into the event.

The president of the Supreme Political Council established by the Houthis in Yemen, Mahdi al Mashat, has ordered the formation of a committee to investigate the incident, which will be made up of the ministries of the Interior, Security, Intelligence, the Judiciary and the Prosecutor's Office.

Al Mashat, who has conveyed his condolences to the families of the victims, has emphasized the importance of taking urgent measures to clarify the causes of the events, reports the Yemeni news agency.

The war in Yemen, unleashed in 2015, pits the internationally recognized government, now represented by the Presidential Leadership Council and supported by the international coalition led by Saudi Arabia, against the Houthis, backed by Iran. The Houthis control the capital, Sana'a, and parts of the north and west of the country.