Houthi officials blame Saudi-led warplanes for an airstrike as thousands of mourners gathered in Sanaa. The Arab coalition denies involvement.
Airstrikes in the Yemeni capital Sanaa have struck a funeral wake, killing scores of people and injuring more than 500 – according to the Houthi-run administration.
The planes struck twice... there are a lot of civilian casualties
Sanaa eyewitness
Some reports put the death toll at well over 100.
The Shi’ite rebels say Saudi-led warplanes were to blame but the coalition quickly denied any role in the attack.
Witnesses say a missile tore through a hall in the south of the city where senior Houthis were among the mourners for the father of the interior minister who’d died.
“The planes struck twice while they were at the wake. We don’t know how many victims there are but there are a lot of civilian casualties,” said one of those present, Salim Hadwan.
Iran, Saudi Arabia’s main regional rival, called the attack a “horrific and inhuman crime”, calling for the resumption of peace talks.
But one Saudi source reportedly said no coalition operation targeted the area.
The number of dead made it the worst single atrocity since the Saudi-led alliance began military operations trying to restore President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi to power since he was ousted by the Iran-backed Houthis.
Shock and outrage. Humanitarian Coordinator #Yemen condemns horrific attack on funeral #Sanaa. 140 killed and 525+ injured so far. pic.twitter.com/42Rx1TqlR0
— OCHA Yemen (@OCHAYemen) October 8, 2016