ADEN, Jan 23 (NNN-YPA) – Yemen’s Houthi group reported that, the death toll in an airstrike launched by the Saudi Arabia-led coalition on a temporary prison in Yemen has risen to 77.
According to a statement released by the Houthi-controlled Ministry of Health, “more than 77 killed prisoners and nearly 146 wounded have been transported by ambulances to the hospitals.”
The Houthi health authority noted that, the number could increase as the rescuers continue their search for bodies at the bombing site in Yemen’s northern province of Saada.
“The airstrike completely destroyed the prison building and there is no sufficient equipment to pull the victims from under the rubble,” an official of Saada’s local authority confirmed.
Saada is one of the main strongholds of the Houthis, who have been fighting the Yemeni government forces, backed by the Saudi-led coalition for years.
The Houthi-affiliated al-Masirah television network reported that, more than 59 air raids were launched by the coalition across the war-ravaged Arab country during the past hours.
The intensified bombardment campaign also included the country’s Red Sea port city of Hodeidah, destroying a telecommunication centre and causing a nationwide collapse of internet connectivity.
The intensified airstrikes came, after the Houthis claimed responsibility for attacking the United Arab Emirates (UAE), an active member of the Saudi-led coalition, with ballistic missiles and explosive-laden drones.
Meanwhile, hundreds of Houthis staged a large protest in the capital, Sanaa, against the deadly airstrikes carried out by the Saudi-led coalition.
A number of Houthi leaders spoke to the protesters and vowed to ramp up their cross-border drone and missile attacks, against cities in Saudi Arabia and the UAE, in retaliation for the heavy bombardment against Yemen.
On the other side, the Saudi-led coalition vowed to continue “the process of responding to the ballistic and drones threat launched by the Houthis towards Saudi Arabia.”– NNN-YPA
