Yemen suffers massive devastation as floods claim over 150 lives, displace thousands

Aden (Yemen), Sep 1 (IANS) Severe flooding has hit several provinces of Yemen, leaving more than 150 people dead and thousands more displaced as of Sunday, according to a Yemeni source and a UN agency.

A Houthi health official, who spoke anonymously due to the lack of authorisation, put the death toll from heavy rains and floods in Yemen at 152.

According to the official, nearly 40 individuals died from the intense rainfall and the dam burst in the northwestern Al-Mahwit province last Tuesday evening, Xinhua news agency reported.

The source added that 28 others were killed last Friday as a result of flood-related incidents in the Houthi-controlled Dhamar province, western Yemen.

The official noted that the Houthi-held Hodeidah province is the region most impacted by the flooding since the beginning of August, with 84 people reported dead and 25 others injured.

Meanwhile, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has reported that the floods, which began in mid-July, have affected multiple regions across Yemen, with the western and northwestern provinces suffering the most.

The UNHCR said that in the western Malhan district of Al-Mahwit province alone, more than 56,000 homes have been impacted, and over 1,000 families have been forced to flee their residences.

The deadly flooding also caused massive damage to vital infrastructure, with vast tracts of agricultural land submerged and roads blocked.

The natural disaster has further compounded the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Yemen, as the country has already been devastated by a protracted civil war.

The civil war between the Houthis and the