Thousands of people showed up to the free banquet event at the Umayyad Mosque, leading to a deadly stampede [Getty]
Three women died on Friday and five children were injured in a deadly stampede at the Umayyad Mosque in Damascus.
The incident happened after chef and TikToker Abu Omar announced on 30 December that he would host a banquet on Friday to celebrate the New Year and the success of the Syrian revolution against deposed dictator Bashar al-Assad at the historic mosque, giving out free meat to anyone who attended.
The Syrian Civil Defence, known as the White Helmets, announced that three women had lost their lives in the crush, while five children had suffered broken bones, severe bruises, and lost consciousness.
The Umayyad Mosque is usually crowded on the Muslim holy day Friday, when worshippers gather for midday congregational prayer. However, Abu Omar’s announcement of free food caused hundreds more people than usual to attend.
Syria’s prolonged conflict, which broke out in 2011, has led to widespread destruction and the crippling of the country’s economy, leaving over 90 percent of the population in poverty and struggling to feed themselves and their families.
Video uploaded to social media showed thousands of people gathering, amid a lack of organisation and crowd control, with some of the injured being carried away.
The incident led to widespread anger among Syrians, with many blaming Abu Omar, who owns the Bayt al-Dimashqi (Damascene House) restaurant, for announcing the banquet without organising it properly. Some people accused him of organising the event to gain fame on social media.
Syrian journalist Murad Abdul Jalil said on the social media platform X: “The situation clearly reflects the suffering of the people, who were driven by poverty to gather in crowds for a meal, but the question is what was the real reason for this event?
“Food could have been delivered to them securely, but it seems that the main goal was to become famous and gain likes at the expense of poor people.”
