23 dead in Bangladesh charity handout stampede

23 dead in Bangladesh charity handout stampede

 

A stampede during a Ramadan charity handout killed at least 23 people in Bangladesh on Friday as hundreds of desperately poor people tried to get their hands on free clothing.

The stampede in the northern city of Mymensingh erupted when crowds of people tried to force their way into a factory compound through a small gate after massing outside before dawn.

Television footage from the site showed scenes of utter devastation, with hundreds of torn and blood-spattered sandals abandoned at the gate of the chewing tobacco factory, which is located around 120 kilometres (75 miles) north of the Bangladeshi capital Dhaka.