Gaza: 5 killed as parachute airdropping aid package falls on people after failing to open

A viral video shows the parachute falling in an uncontrolled manner

A video showed a parachute (as seen in the screenshot on the right side) failing to open and landing in an uncontrolled manner A video showed a parachute (as seen in the screenshot on the right side) failing to open and landing in an uncontrolled manner | AFP, Instagram/Ismail_gh2

At least five people were killed in Gaza after a parachute airdropping aid package failed to open and fell on them on Friday, said reports.

According to a witness, the aid box "fell like a rocket" on the roof of a house near the al-Shati refugee camp on Gaza coast. 

The US and Jordan, which are among countries carrying out airdrops in Gaza, said their airtcraft tasked with airdropping aid boxes were not involved in the fatalities.

Egypt, France, Belgium and the Netherlands have also been dropping aids into Gaza but THE WEEK cannot independently verify which country's aircraft was involved in the tragedy.

A video that went viral on social media on Friday showed a C-17 cargo plane dropping aid boxes over al-Shati. Most of the packages fall as intended except for one as the parachute fails to open and lands in an uncontrolled manner, reported BBC.

The tragedy occurred as aid boxes started being airdropped amid worsening humanitarian crisis in Gaza.

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