ADVERTISEMENT

20 killed, 40 wounded in air raid at wedding ceremony

Huthi rebels who control most of northern Yemen blamed the Sunday attack on a Saudi-led Arab coalition that backs the country's government.

Rescue teams said the wedding was taking place in the Huthi-controlled Bani Qais area of Hajjah province, north of Sanaa, when jets carried out the raid.

Doctors Without Borders (MSF) said on Twitter that a hospital it supports in Hajjah received at least 40 patients wounded in the air strikes.

"Medical teams are working around the clock to provide assistance to the victims," MSF said.

ADVERTISEMENT

A local official told AFP that at least 23 civilians, including women and children, were killed and 36 others wounded in the attack.

The double air strike on the crowded party venue had left a number of dead bodies buried under rubble, the official said on condition of anonymity.

The Huthi-run Al-Masirah Television tweeted that at least 33 people were killed and as many as 55 wounded in the attack.

It said an unspecified number of children and women were among those killed, in addition to at least 30 children wounded.

The Saudi-led coalition's spokesman Colonel Turki al-Malki did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the incident.

ADVERTISEMENT

It was not the first deadly strike on a wedding during Yemen's conflict, which has killed nearly 10,000 people since the coalition intervened in March 2015 to battle the Iran-backed Huthis and restore Yemen's internationally recognised government to power.

In late 2015, coalition air strikes on two wedding parties in northern Yemen killed at least 159 civilians.

Violence has also hit funerals. In October 2016, 140 mourners were killed during an air strike on a house in Sanaa.

Yemen's conflict has sparked what the United Nations has called the world's worst humanitarian crisis.

JOIN OUR PULSE COMMUNITY!

Unblock notifications in browser settings.
ADVERTISEMENT

Eyewitness? Submit your stories now via social or:

Email: eyewitness@pulse.ng

Recommended articles

Slain NYSC member's brother petitions House of Reps, insists deceased not cultist

Slain NYSC member's brother petitions House of Reps, insists deceased not cultist

Police arrest over 50 suspects after brutal clashes at Ile-Epo, Lagos

Police arrest over 50 suspects after brutal clashes at Ile-Epo, Lagos

Our government won't blame Buhari for any failure - Shettima

Our government won't blame Buhari for any failure - Shettima

Gov Eno donates 20 patrol vehicles to boost security, protect residents

Gov Eno donates 20 patrol vehicles to boost security, protect residents

FG begins 'School-to-Work' to help youths identify life-long skills early

FG begins 'School-to-Work' to help youths identify life-long skills early

Bandits 'doctor', masterminds of Greenfield University attack, others arrested

Bandits 'doctor', masterminds of Greenfield University attack, others arrested

Anambra Govt arrests father who marries off underage daughter to a wife beater

Anambra Govt arrests father who marries off underage daughter to a wife beater

Tinubu may return home in commercial plane as presidential jets are still faulty

Tinubu may return home in commercial plane as presidential jets are still faulty

Wike plans to use drones to fight insecurity, enhance security in FCT

Wike plans to use drones to fight insecurity, enhance security in FCT

ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT