Damascus stampede: 3 killed during civilian event at Umayyad Mosque

A stampede at the landmark Umayyad Mosque in Syria's capital on Friday (Jan 10) killed three people, the governor of Damascus said.

Also read | Pakistanis 4 times more likely to be involved in grooming offences: Report

The crush "during a civilian event at the mosque... resulted in the death of three people", Governor Maher Marwan told state news agency SANA.

The White Helmets rescue group said the crush in the afternoon killed three women, adding that five children suffered fractures.

Also read | Trump hush money case: A timeline of events as US-President elect is sentenced to unconditional discharge

They added that they managed to rescue a girl from the crowd.

The Al-Watan newspaper said it happened during the distribution of free meals by a social media personality.

A YouTuber called Chef Abu Omar, who has a restaurant in Istanbul, had earlier posted a video of preparations for the distribution of free meals at the Umayyad Mosque.

Also read | PM Modi to visit France, announces Macron

Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani had visited the mosque in the morning.