Dhaka (AsiaNews) - At least 23 people, mostly women, were killed in a stampede this morning in Mymensingh, a city in northern Bangladesh. Another 50 were seriously injured. Eyewitnesses said that the incident occurred after morning prayer (Al-Fajr), when thousands of people gathered in front of a factory producing chewing tobacco, for the distribution of clothes to honor the zakat (the 'almsgiving) on the occasion of Ramadan.
Police arrested seven people, including Shamim Talukder, the building owner. The man distributed 600 coins to start the donation, without involving police to manage the initiative. The more than 1,500 people present started pushing, sparking the incident.
According to the coroner the toll is expected to rise, in part because many people might have taken away the bodies of their loved ones.
The victims come from situations of extreme poverty. Zakat is one of the five pillars of Islam, the obligations that every good Muslim - man or woman - is bound to respect according to shari'a. It is almsgiving, a symbol of "purification" of their wealth. During the holy month of Ramadan, the rich often donate their old clothes to the poor, in accordance with the Islamic precept.