Yemen: Heavy flooding leaves at least 57 dead, affecting over 695,000 people

At least 57 people have been killed in heavy flooding across Yemen, triggered by heavy rain that started in late June and intensified in recent days, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) has said.

OCHA’s head of finance, Lisa Dutton, said the flooding has injured over 600 people and caused widespread devastation in central Yemen.

"Heavy rains and floods have hit several governorates in Yemen, directly affecting around 695,000 families who have lost their homes and livelihoods," she said in a statement.

Dutton added that a "lack of adequate funding continues to undermine efforts to address critical needs across Yemen", and that humanitarian workers are struggling to meet the needs of people across the country.

According to OCHA, the flooding has worsened the "already dire humanitarian situation" with thousands forcibly displaced in recent weeks.

Some of the hardest hit areas are Hodeidah, Hajjah, Taiz, and Marib, with widespread destruction to homes, roads, essential services, and infrastructure caused by the rain.

The UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) estimates that around $4.9 million is urgently needed for emergency response efforts, as the Yemeni government made an urgent appeal to international organisations and donors for assistance in rebuilding parts of the country damaged by flooding.

"We call on all international and regional partners, countries, financial institutions, international and humanitarian organisations to support the Yemeni government in dealing with the damage caused by the low-pressure system currently hitting the Hajjah and Hodeidah governorates," the ministry of planning and international cooperation said in a statement.

The extreme weather has exacerbated the humanitarian situation in the country, where over 18.2 million people already required assistance before the flooding hit.

Yemen has been mired in conflict since 2014, the situation worsened when a Saudi-led coalition, siding with government forces against Houthi rebels, intervened six months later.