Eleven killed in stampede for food aid in southern Pakistan

KARACHI, SANA- Eleven people were killed in a stampede during the distribution of food aid in the southern Pakistani city of Karachi on Friday, a health official said, one of several such incidents in recent weeks as the country’s economic crisis bites.

Reuters quoted a police source as saying the dead included five women and three children, while five other people were hospitalized following the incident, which occurred at a charity-run distribution site set up at a local factory.

Thousands of people have gathered at flour distribution centers set up across the country, some as part of a government-backed program to ease the impact of inflation, which is running above 30%, a 50-year high.

Mazen Eyon