At least 172 people have been killed since mid-July in flooding in Yemen, a country at war, according to official sources and the rebels who control the north of the country.
Many infrastructures, including historical monuments classified as UNESCO heritage, were damaged, according to this UN agency.
“The death toll in the region of Marib (east of Sanaa) stands at 30 dead, including 19 children,” a government official recognized by the international community which controls this province told AFP on Wednesday.
The service responsible for the displaced in the same province indicated that 1,340 families had been affected by the floods. They lost their tents and food provisions, which were washed away, according to the same source.
In the province of Lahaj (south), “a car was washed away by the flood and its seven occupants drowned,” a government official told AFP on Wednesday.
Four other people were killed on the road connecting the provinces of Hadramout and Chabwa, also in the south, added the official.
According to other government officials, this toll is likely to increase, as some regions are still isolated by the waves.
In the north, Houthi rebels reported earlier this week that flooding had left 131 dead and 124 injured since mid-July.
According to a statement from the Houthi “Ministry of Health”, “106 homes and buildings have been destroyed and 156 others damaged as of August 7”.
UNESCO lamented in a statement Tuesday the damage to historic buildings in Sanaa, Zabid and Chibam, where many monuments are listed on its World Heritage list.
Meteorological services forecast continued rainfall in the coming days over various parts of Yemen.
The country is already affected by the worst humanitarian crisis in the world, according to the United Nations, due to the war between the rebels and the government since 2016. It has left tens of thousands of dead and millions of displaced.