The ongoing conflict has further complicated efforts to provide aid and support to those affected by the natural disaster.
At least 33 people have been killed, and more than 200 houses have been damaged in severe floods that swept through northern Yemen this week, a local official reported. The heavy rains began on Tuesday as part of Yemen’s monsoon season, leading to significant flooding and rockslides in the Melhan district of Al-Mahwit province.
Ali al-Zikam, the secretary-general of the local council of Al-Mahwit province, stated on Facebook late Wednesday that the floods had destroyed 28 houses and caused structural cracks in 200 others. The floods also swept away five cars, and several people remain missing. Yemen’s Red Crescent reported on Thursday that 38 people are still missing, with the agency actively searching for them.
“The magnitude of the disaster in al-Mahwit is substantial,” the Red Crescent noted, highlighting the severe impact of the floods on the community.
Since the monsoon season began in mid-July, over 33,000 families across Yemen have been affected by the floods. On Wednesday, the Houthi authorities reported that 86 people had died due to flooding in the southern city of Hodeida and the provinces of Reema and Hajjah.
The floods come as Yemenis continue to endure a devastating civil war that began in 2014 when Iran-backed Houthi rebels took control of the capital, Sanaa, and much of the north, forcing the internationally recognized government into exile. The ongoing conflict has further complicated efforts to provide aid and support to those affected by the natural disaster.
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