Heavy flooding from seasonal rain kills 13 in Yemen

Two children were among at least 13 people that died due to heavy flooding across several parts of Yemen, officials said.

MENA

2 min read

The New Arab Staff & Agencies

01 May, 2021

Two children were among those that died [Getty]

Floods swept through parts of Yemen amid heavy seasonal rains, leaving at least 13 people dead, including two children, security officials said on Saturday.

Fatalities were reported in the provinces of Sanaa, Ibb, Shabwa and Hodeida, where it began raining late last month, the officials said. They spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to brief the media.

Heavy rains also pelted the provinces of Aden, Taiz and Hadramout, where flooding damaged houses and vehicles, they said. Rescuers managed to save some residents trapped in their cars.

Yemen’s National Meteorological Centre issued statements in recent days warning Yemenis to stay away from flood ducts in affected areas and to take necessary precautions. Yemen’s rainy season runs from April through August.

Last year, flooding left dozens dead and forced tens of thousands to leave their homes.

The Arab world’s poorest country is divided between Houthi rebels in the north and an internationally-recognised government in the south.

Both sides have been at war since the Iran-backed rebels swept across much of the north and seized the capital Sanaa late in 2014, forcing the government of President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi into exile in Saudi Arabia.

Yemen is located at the southern corner of the Arabian Peninsula, overlooking the Red and Arabian Seas.

Read also: May Day: Remembering slain Yemeni-American labour leader Nagi Daifallah

More than 100,000 people have died in the conflict in what the United Nation has described as the world's worst humanitarian crisis.

Agencies contributed to this report.

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