Eight people killed in stampede for free cloth

At least seven women and a child were killed in two separate stampedes today when thousands of destitute Bangladeshis scrambled for charity clothing distributed ahead of a Muslim festival, news reports said.

Another 16 people were injured in the stampedes that occurred four days before Muslims in Bangladesh were to celebrate the Eid-ul-Fitr festival marking the end of a month of fasting, the United News of Bangladesh and ATN Bangla television station reported.

Affluent Muslims seek to receive blessings by distributing free clothing or food to poor people to mark the festival. The practice attracts thousands of destitute people, who vie to grab the gifts, sometimes triggering stampedes.

Four women and a child were killed in Mymensingh district, 70 miles north of Dhaka, when about 2,000 people, many with children, gathered in a narrow lane to receive cloth distributed by the owner of a textile mill, ATN Bangla reported. About 12 people were injured.

Three other women died and four were injured in Patuakhali district, 95 miles south of Dhaka, the United News of Bangladesh news agency reported.

The stampede occurred when more than 1,000 people gathered outside a home where free cloth was being distributed to the poor, UNB said.

The reports did not provide further details.

Police officials were not immediately available for comment.

Bangladesh is one of the world's poorest nations and nearly half its 144 million people live on less than $1 a day.