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More than 80 people were killed and hundreds wounded in a stampede at a charity distribution event in war-torn Yemen on Thursday, Houthi officials said.

It is believed to be one of the deadliest stampede of the decade.

The tragedy in the Arabian Peninsula's poorest country came just days before the Eid al-Fitr holiday, which marks the end of the Islamic holy month of Ramadan. 

A Houthi security official said at least "85 people were killed and more than 322 wounded" after a stampede in the capital's Bab al-Yaman district.

"The dead included women and children," he told AFP on condition of anonymity.

A second health official confirmed the toll. 

An AFP correspondent in Sanaa said the incident happened inside a school where aid was being distributed.

According to eyewitnesses, hundreds of people had gathered to collect relief material in the poverty-stricken country. 

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