Floods caused by torrential rains in Yemen kill at least 60

In total, 38,285 families, or nearly 268,000 people, have been affected by the floods, according to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.

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A car drives through a flooded street in Sanaa, Yemen, on August 16, 2024. (MOHAMMED HAMOUD / ANADOLU / AFP)

Yemen, at war for nearly a decade, faces severe flooding caused by torrential rains almost every year. Since late July, floods have killed 36 people in Hodeidah province, nine in Ibb, eight in Marib and seven in Taiz, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said in a report published on Monday, August 19.

At least 600 people were injured in Hodeida and Marib provinces alone, OCHA said, adding that a total of 13 people remained missing in Hodeida and Taiz. “Public infrastructure, including schools, roads and health facilities, has been affected. Livelihoods that were hanging by a thread have been swept away.”OCHA stressed. In total, 38,285 families, or nearly 268,000 people, have been affected, according to the same source, noting that “The bad weather is expected to persist until September, with additional warnings for heavy rainfall”.

In recent years, Yemen has seen an increase in the frequency and intensity of rainfall due to climate change, according to a 2023 report by the International Committee of the Red Cross and the Norwegian Red Cross. The country experienced significant flooding in 2019, 2020 and 2021.


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