A tragic stampede has left 15 dead and up to 40 others injured in a Moroccan village this week.
Residents of Sidi Boulalam, a village in Essaouira province, were lining up for food aid in the local souk, when the deadly incident occurred, according to ABC.
"This year there were lots of people, several hundred people," an anonymous witness told AFP.
"People shoved, they broke down the barriers," he said, saying some of the injured had been taken to hospitals in Marrakech.
Morocco's King Mohammed VI responded quickly to the tragedy, giving "instructions to the competent authorities to take all measures to provide the necessary support and assistance to the families of the victims and the injured," according to Morocco World News.
The king also personally offered to pay for the burial and funeral expenses of the deceased, as well as for the medical expenses of the injured. A full investigation into the incident has also been promised by the kingdom's interior minister.
Distribution of food aid in North Africa has become common, especially as a major drought has severely hurt the nation's agricultural output. Costs of basic food items have skyrocketed, making food aid necessary for the survival of many.