At least five killed in Yemen stampede

At least five people were killed today and dozens more injured – most of them children – in a stampede during a pre-election campaign rally for Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh in the southern province of Ibb.

The stampede occurred in a small stadium in Ibb, 119 miles south of the capital San‘a, where Saleh was addressing a group of people.

Overcrowding and a lack of clearly marked exit signs contributed to the stampede, after people leaving the stadium ran into other people entering the stadium, the officials said.

The teenagers and schoolchildren had been bussed to the stadium by government authorities to attend the rally.

Ambulances and emergency services were on hand to treat and evacuate the casualties. The election is scheduled for September 20.