At least 15 people have died and 5 others injured in a stampede in Morocco while food aid was being distributed, local media reports.
According to the Moroccan state TV Channel 2M, the stampede took place on Sunday in the village of Sidi Boulalam in the southern province of Essaouira, approximately 90 miles west of Marrakesh.
Some reports have indicated that up to 40 people were injured in the crush with the local media reporting that most of the victims were women and elderly people.
The stampede has been blamed on “disorganization” of the distribution by an unnamed charity organization that was carrying it out.
Pictures on social media showed bodies of women lying on the ground with fears that the death toll is expected to rise.
Distributions of food especially in remote parts of the country are common. The distributions are organized by private sponsors and groups as well as by the country’s authorities.
