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Thursday March 28, 2024

28 dead as raids on Yemen capital spark blasts

Sanaa: Saudi-led air strikes on a missile depot in Yemen´s rebel-held capital Monday sparked explosions that killed at least 28 people and wounded nearly 300, flattening houses and shaking faraway neighbourhoods.

Many more people were feared to have been killed after two strikes hit the hilltop depot, leaving a trail of destruction in the Fajj Attan area of Sanaa which was

By AFP
April 21, 2015
Sanaa: Saudi-led air strikes on a missile depot in Yemen´s rebel-held capital Monday sparked explosions that killed at least 28 people and wounded nearly 300, flattening houses and shaking faraway neighbourhoods.

Many more people were feared to have been killed after two strikes hit the hilltop depot, leaving a trail of destruction in the Fajj Attan area of Sanaa which was covered in thick clouds of smoke.

Yemen, strategically located near key shipping routes and bordering oil-rich Saudi Arabia, was plunged into chaos last year when the Iran-backed Huthi rebels seized Sanaa.

A coalition of Arab nations led by Saudi Arabia launched the air campaign against them last month, vowing to restore the authority of President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi, who fled to Riyadh as the militiamen advanced on his southern refuge of Aden.

The US Navy said Monday that as a result of the instability in Yemen it has deployed the aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt and guided-missile cruiser USS Normandy in the Arabian Sea "to ensure the vital shipping lanes in the region remain open and safe".

Monday´s coalition strikes triggered a series of blasts that sent shockwaves across Sanaa, leaving cars mangled, buildings gutted and streets strewn with debris.

Fires broke out at the missile base and a nearby petrol station, witnesses said, and the scorching heat could be felt from far off.

Civilians emerged from their shattered homes in the aftermath, some carrying suitcases and appearing stunned at the scale of the destruction.

Medics said at least 28 civilians were killed and almost 300 people were wounded.

The targeted base belongs to the missile brigade of the elite Republican Guard, which remained loyal to former president Ali Abdullah Saleh who has been accused of siding with the rebels.

The Saudi-led coalition says it has carried out more than 2,000 strikes since the start of the campaign, gaining complete control of Yemeni airspace and knocking out rebel infrastructure.

But its spokesman gave no comment about Monday´s blasts in Sanaa in his latest media briefing. (AFP)