Three women died and five children suffered severe fractures and bruises on Friday in a stampede at the Umayyad Mosque in the Syrian capital Damascus while attempting to get free meals in a charitable activity, according to the Syrian Civil Defence.
The incident occurred during a banquet promoted by a well-known chef, Abu Omari al-Dimashqi, who had invited the public to a free meal in the yard of the historic mosque in the Old City of Damascus.
Local sources and eyewitnesses said large crowds flocked into the mosque’s courtyard and nearby areas amid an apparent shortage of crowd control measures, leading to chaotic scenes.