Over 30 killed by air strikes on Yemen wedding party
SANAA (Web Desk) - Airstrikes hit a wedding celebration in Yemen, killing over 30 people and leaving dozens more unaccounted for, local officials said on Thursday.
The attack happened in Sanban, about 100km (60 miles) south-east of the capital, Sanaa, witnesses said.
Local hospitals have been overwhelmed with victims, the officials said.
It was not clear who was behind the attack but a Saudi-led coalition has been carrying out air raids against Houthi rebels.
Coalition forces said they have no ongoing operations in the southwestern province in Yemen where the incident occurred.
"Not every explosion that takes place in Yemen is as airstrike - it could be a missile, car bomb, or weapons cache," coalition spokesman Ahmed Asseri said.
Last month an air strike on a wedding party near the Red Sea port of Mocha killed at least 130 people.
Read more: 130 killed in Saudi-led coalition air raid at Yemen wedding
The coalition denied it was responsible for that attack.
The latest incident was said to have struck a wedding party being hosted by a tribal leader who is known to support the Houthi rebels. At least 25 people were reported to have been wounded.
About 5,000 people, including 2,355 civilians, have been killed in air strikes and fighting on the ground since 26 March, when Houthi fighters and allied army units forced Yemen's internationally recognised president to flee the country.
An estimated 21 million people - or 80% of the population - require some form of humanitarian assistance and almost 1.5 million people are internally displaced.
The Houthis - northern Shia Muslim rebels - backed by forces loyal to Yemen's previous President Ali Abdullah Saleh, forced the government into exile in March.
Yemen's UN-recognised President Abdrabbuh Mansour Hadi returned to the southern port city of Aden last month, where his government has set up a temporary base.
His forces, backed by the Saudi-led coalition, are pressing north towards rebel-held Sanaa.
The attack happened in Sanban, about 100km (60 miles) south-east of the capital, Sanaa, witnesses said.
Local hospitals have been overwhelmed with victims, the officials said.
It was not clear who was behind the attack but a Saudi-led coalition has been carrying out air raids against Houthi rebels.
Coalition forces said they have no ongoing operations in the southwestern province in Yemen where the incident occurred.
"Not every explosion that takes place in Yemen is as airstrike - it could be a missile, car bomb, or weapons cache," coalition spokesman Ahmed Asseri said.
Last month an air strike on a wedding party near the Red Sea port of Mocha killed at least 130 people.
Read more: 130 killed in Saudi-led coalition air raid at Yemen wedding
The coalition denied it was responsible for that attack.
The latest incident was said to have struck a wedding party being hosted by a tribal leader who is known to support the Houthi rebels. At least 25 people were reported to have been wounded.
About 5,000 people, including 2,355 civilians, have been killed in air strikes and fighting on the ground since 26 March, when Houthi fighters and allied army units forced Yemen's internationally recognised president to flee the country.
An estimated 21 million people - or 80% of the population - require some form of humanitarian assistance and almost 1.5 million people are internally displaced.
The Houthis - northern Shia Muslim rebels - backed by forces loyal to Yemen's previous President Ali Abdullah Saleh, forced the government into exile in March.
Yemen's UN-recognised President Abdrabbuh Mansour Hadi returned to the southern port city of Aden last month, where his government has set up a temporary base.
His forces, backed by the Saudi-led coalition, are pressing north towards rebel-held Sanaa.
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