Death toll rises in southern Yemen from heavy flooding

By Afra Aksoy

LAHIJ, Yemen

At least 14 people have been killed by torrential rains and flooding in Al-Maqatira Directorate in Yemen’s southern Lahij province, hospital sources said Tuesday.

“There hasn’t been rainfall like this for 20 years. Fifteen trucks and five transport vehicles were swept away by floodwaters as well as people who lost their lives,” Ali el-Kubati, a resident of Al-Maqatira, told Anadolu Agency.

He said a highway - the only connection point between Aden and Al-Maqatira - was closed due to the flooding.

Impoverished Yemen has remained in a state of civil war since 2014 when Shia Houthi rebels overran much of the country including the capital, Sanaa.

The conflict escalated in 2015 when Saudi Arabia and its Arab allies launched a massive air campaign aimed at reversing Houthi military gains and shoring up the country’s pro-Saudi government, which is using the city of Aden as a temporary capital.

According to UN officials, more than 10,000 people have been killed in the fighting, while the Red Cross has reported that over 3 million Yemenis have been forced from their homes as a direct result of the conflict.