Yemen: 25 killed in deadly flash floods

Sanaa: At least 25 people were killed after flash floods hit Yemen’s region of Al-Mahwit, a local health source reported on Wednesday.

The flash floods in Al-Mahwit, triggered by over 24 hours of heavy rain, caused the collapse of three dams and swept away dozens of houses in the Malhan district on Tuesday.

Rescue operations are underway as several villagers are still missing, said the source.

Earlier this month, heavy rain and flash floods in the regions of Hodeidah and Hajjah claimed 45 lives and damaged over 12,000 homes, according to local health authorities, Xinhua news agency reported.

The WHO has expressed concern about the potential spread of diseases due to contaminated water and poor sanitation during the rainy season in the conflict-ridden country.

Yemen has been mired in a civil war since 2014 when the Houthi group seized several northern provinces, forcing the Yemeni government to flee the capital, Sanaa.

Earlier on August 25, 13 bodies were found, and six were still missing after flash floods and landslides destroyed houses and infrastructure in Indonesia’s North Maluku province, a senior official said.

Yemen, already grappling with an almost decade-long war, suffers from severe floods on a near-annual basis that are triggered by torrential rainfall, while climate change is increasing the frequency and intensity of precipitation.

Since July, flash floods have caused 36 deaths in Hodeida province, nine in Ibb, eight in Marib, and seven in Taiz, the UN humanitarian agency OCHA said in a report released on August 19.