Dozens crushed to death at charity event (www.rt.com)

Officials have also announced that they will pay compensations to the bereaved families and those injured in the stampede.

Commenting on the broader context of the incident, Mohamed Ali alHouthi, head of the Houthi Supreme Revolutionary Committee, wrote in a series of tweetsthat the countries of the USBritishSaudiEmirati aggression and its allies are responsible for the tragedy, and for the bitter reality that the Yemeni people live in because of the aggression and blockade.

He also called for the blockade of the country to be lifted.

According to the UN, over 24 million people in Yemen 80 of the population are in need of humanitarian aid and protection.

Yemens Al Masirah TV channel reported that 13 people were in critical condition.

Eyewitnesses told the media that Houthi militiamen had tried to control the crowd, including by firing shots in the air, although their efforts proved ineffective.

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The Shiite movement that controls large swathes of Yemen accused event organizers of holding a random distribution of funds without due coordination with the authorities.

According to the Interior Ministry, two businessmen have been arrested and an investigation has been launched.

The country has been ravaged by more than eight years of war betweenSaudibacked Sunni and Iranbacked Shiite Houthi forces, in a conflict recognized by the UN as one of the worlds largest humanitarian crises.

Local businessmen were reportedly handing out gifts at a school to mark the Muslim holy month of Ramadan when the crush began, according to theHouthicontrolled Interior Ministry, which blamedSaudi Arabia for the tragedy.