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JAKARTA - What supposedly to become a graceful moment turned out to be a fatal mess when a charity distribution to the poor asking for alms, ended up in a stampede in which three people were died and dozens were injured on Friday morning on Jl. Raya Pasar Minggu, South Jakarta. The fatalities were all women Fatimah, 60, Rodiah, 50, and Halimah, 45. Another victim Sumanah, 55, was in state of coma and was taken to Siaga Hospital in Pasar Minggu.
Dozens other charity seekers also fell fainted in the stampede. The incident took place at 8:30 a.m. in the front yard of the home of Muslim cleric Habib Ismet al Habsyi. The charity program has become an annual program held by Habib Ismet for more than 20 years in every second week during the fasting month of Ramadhan. The alms packages distributed to the poor were varied, including a sarong and between Rp 20,000 (US$2.3) and Rp 50,000 in cash.
Unexpectedly, the poor who came for the alms were more than a thousand people so that the front yard measuring only 20 meters in width and 20 meters in length could not accomodate the crowd. It used to be around 300 to 400 charity seekers, said Hasan, a relative of Habib Ismet. Habib Ismet was in his pilgrimage to Mecca when the incident took place.
Eyewitnesses said that the charity seekers who were packing the scene had come since 5 a.m. from various places across Jakarta, including from Bojong Gede, Depok, Citayam, Depok, and Sukabumi. They were queued up in three lines, but they were only served by two people who distributed the alms.
The chaos happened after a one-meter high heavy iron barrier to force the charity seekers to line up, collapsed on the crowd. Panicked by the falling barrier, those crowd pushed each other causing several glass windows at the scene to shatter. In such chaotic situation, many charity seekers stamped on other falling charity seekers to snatch the alms. Three people died instantly at the scene because of the falling barrier and stampede, while another victim suffered fall fainted.
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