Dozens dead after stampede at event to hand out financial aid

Clothes lie strewn on the ground in the aftermath of the stampede (Ansar Allah Houthi Media Office via AP)

A crowd apparently panicked 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, killing at least 78 people and injuring at least 73 others.

The tragedy was Yemen’s deadliest in years that was not related to the country’s long-running war, and came ahead of the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Fitr, which marks the end of Ramadan later this week.