Heavy rains, floods leave 10 killed in Yemen

At least 10 people were killed and several others injured during heavy seasonal rains and floods that hit Yemen's southeastern province during the past 24 hours, reported news agency Xinhua, quoting a government official on Thursday.

According to the local government official who preferred to remain anonymous, "the heavy seasonal rain began late Wednesday and caused flash floodings that killed at least seven people in Hadramout and three others in the neighboring province of Shabwa."

"Dozens of houses and civilian vehicles were flooded and livestock were washed away during the heavy seasonal rains continued throughout Thursday morning," the source said.

He pointed out that "military helicopters of the government forces intervened to rescue several families trapped in their villages by the flooding."

Yemen's National Meteorological Center issued a statement on Wednesday expecting the continuation of heavy seasonal rains and thunderstorms during the upcoming hours and warned citizens to stay away from flood ducts.

The center also asked the Yemeni citizens living in mud houses in Hadramout to take necessary precautions in order to ensure their safety.