SANA’A, Yemen (AA, AP, AFP, Saba): At least 78 people were killed and more than 150 were injured late Wednesday in a stampede in Yemen’s capital, Sana’a.

Dr. Mutahhir Murshid, chairman of the board of Sevre Hospital in Sana’a, told al-Masirah television that the crowd surge took place during the distribution of financial aid under the control of the Houthis.

The spokesperson for the Ministry of Interior, Brigadier General Abdul-Khaleq Al-Ajri, said the distribution was carried out without coordination with the ministry and two businessmen were detained.

The crush happened late on Wednesday as hundreds of people crowded into a school in the Bab al-Yemen district of Sana’a in the hope of getting a charitable donation of about $10 that was being handed out by merchants to mark the final days of Ramadan.

The Interior Ministry Spokesman, Brigadier General Abdul-Khaleq Al-Ajri, considered what happened tonight in the capital, Sana’a, “a tragic and painful accident”, according to Saba news.

Al-Ajri added: “We extend, on behalf of the Minister of Interior, Major General Abdul Karim Al-Houthi, and the ministry employees, our sincere condolences and sympathy to all victims’ families, asking God Almighty to grant their hearts patience.”

Al-Ajri said an investigation was launched after security forces in Sana’a were dispatched to the region.

[Map if Yemen from CIA Factbook/Public Domain]