Moroccan state TV channel 2M reports that at least 15 people have died and 5 others have been injured in a stampede as food aid was being distributed in a southern village. It said the stampede took place Sunday in the village of Sidi Boulalam, in the southern province of Essaouira. Distributions of food aid are common in the North African nation, notably in remote parts of the country. They are organized by private sponsors and groups as well as by the authorities. A drought has greatly hurt agricultural output in Morocco recently, contributing to the high cost of basic food items.
