At Least Two Children Killed in Yemen’s Heavy Rainfall (+Video)
TEHRAN (Tasnim) - At least two Yemeni children have been killed and three camps for internally displaced people (IDPs) were destroyed due to unusually heavy rainfall in several parts of the country.
Two children were killed by flashfloods on Monday in Yemen’s eastern Maarib province, according to witnesses, Anadolu Agency reported.
The flashfloods were reportedly caused by unusually heavy rainfall in a number of Maarib’s southern districts.
The flooding has halted traffic on the main highway linking Maarib to the nearby Al-Bayda province, witnesses said.
One vehicle carrying three children and their parents was reportedly washed away by the flooding, leaving two of the children dead and the third unaccounted for.
In recent days, several provinces in Yemen have been hit by unusually heavy rainfall.
Flash floods have destroyed half of the tents and caused widespread damage at three camps for internally displaced people (IDPs) in Yemen, according to RTI.
More than 8,000 camp residents near Haradh, in the north-west of the country, have been affected. In recent days, torrential rains and flooding have killed 39 people and destroyed homes, schools and infrastructure.
"The tents were old and leaking, and UNHCR [the UN refugee agency] was preparing to replace them before the storm hit," said Erich Ogoso, public information and advocacy officer for the UN Office for the Co-ordination of Humanitarian Affairs (Ocha). "It was tough for the IDPs, as they scrambled to cover food and other items that could be damaged by the water and protect children from the heavy rain."