16 killed in flood in Yemen

Torrential rains and flooding killed at least 16 people in northwestern Yemen in the last 48 hours, local media reported on Sunday, citing residents, reported Xinhua.

Thirteen of the victims were swept away by floods in Hodeidah province, while the other three had drowned in the floods in the adjacent province of Hajjah.

The floods damaged dozens of homes, roads and farms in the Hodeidah's northern districts of Luhayyah, Qanawis and Zuhrah, as well as the Hajjah's southern district of Bani Qa'is.

Yemen has been mired in civil war since late 2014, when the Iran-backed Houthi group seized control of much of the country's north and forced the government of President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi out of Sanaa.

The conflict has caused the collapse of half of the country's health system and triggered the spread of epidemics, including cholera which has infected over 1 million people and killed more than 2,000 since 2017.