At least 78 people were killed in a stampede in the Yemeni capital Sanaa as hundreds gathered in a school to receive donations during the holy month of Ramadan.
Local media reported several people were injured, 13 critically, citing the director of health in Sanaa.
Hundreds of people had crowded into a school to receive the donations, which amounted to 5,000 Yemeni riyals, or about $9 per person, from merchants, two witnesses involved in the rescue effort told Reuters.
A video posted on Telegram messaging app showed a crowd of people jammed together, some screaming and shouting and reaching out to be pulled to safety. Security staff fought to push people back and control the crowd.
Another video after the stampede showed scores of discarded shoes, a crutch and clothing on the steps of the building, and forensic investigators in protective white suits sorting through personal belongings.
The two merchants responsible for organising the donation drive have been detained and an investigation launched into the tragedy.
Israel struck multiple targets linked to the Houthi movement in Yemen on Thursday, including Sanaa International Airport, while the chief of the World Health Organisation (WHO) was boarding a plane.
Syria's new authorities on Thursday launched a security crackdown in a coastal region where 14 policemen were killed a day before, vowing to pursue "remnants" of the ousted Bashar al-Assad government accused of the attack, state media reported.
The United Nations peacekeeping force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) called on Thursday for a timely Israeli withdrawal from south Lebanon, citing what it called Israeli violations of a November 27 ceasefire agreement with Iran-backed Lebanese armed group Hezbollah.
Described as a "reluctant king" in his first stint as prime minister, the soft-spoken Manmohan Singh, who died on Thursday at the age of 92, was arguably one of India's most successful leaders.
The Azerbaijan Airlines flight that crashed in Kazakhstan on Wednesday was downed by a Russian air defence system, four sources in Azerbaijan with knowledge of the investigation told Reuters.
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