At least 13 killed, 38 wounded in Yemen wedding bombing: medic

Published October 8, 2015
"The hospital of Dhamar has received 13 bodies and 38 wounded people following the bombing of a house where dozens were celebrating a wedding," the medical source told AFP, on condition of anonymity. — AFP/File
"The hospital of Dhamar has received 13 bodies and 38 wounded people following the bombing of a house where dozens were celebrating a wedding," the medical source told AFP, on condition of anonymity. — AFP/File

SANAA: At least 13 people were killed and 38 others wounded in the bombing of a wedding in a rebel-held Yemeni town, a medical source said Thursday, as witnesses accused the Saudi-led coalition of being behind the attack.

The bombing targeted a house hosting a wedding celebration in Sanban, in Dhamar province, some 100 kilometres south of Sanaa, medics and witnesses said.

"The hospital of Dhamar has received 13 bodies and 38 wounded people following the bombing of a house where dozens were celebrating a wedding," the medical source told AFP, on condition of anonymity.

The medic did not specify the source of the bombing, but witnesses said it was an air strike by a pro-government coalition that has been targeting rebel targets since March.

The nine-member, Saudi-led coalition intervened in support of Yemeni President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi after Houthi rebels overran the capital Sanaa last year.

"Coalition warplanes launched the attack. The house got completely destroyed," said witness and local resident Taha al-Zuba. "Warplanes were heard in the area ahead of the attack."

The rebels' Almasirah television said on Twitter the wedding was targeted by the "bombing of aggression warplanes", referring to the coalition.

A suspected coalition air strike killed at least 131 civilians at a wedding near the Red Sea city of Mokha in September, which the United Nations (UN) said may have been the deadliest hit since March. The coalition denied involvement.

The UN says around 5,000 people have been killed and 25,000 wounded, many of them civilians, in Yemen over the past seven months.

Hadi fled to Riyadh in March then returned to Aden in September after loyalists backed by coalition forces retook the port city and four other southern provinces.

Read: Death toll from Saudi-led airstrikes on wedding in Yemen rises to 131

Opinion

Editorial

More pledges
Updated 25 May, 2024

More pledges

There needs to be continuity in economic policies, while development must be focused on bringing prosperity to the masses.
Pemra overreach
25 May, 2024

Pemra overreach

IT seems, at best, a misguided measure and, at worst, an attempt to abuse regulatory power to silence the media. A...
Enduring threat
25 May, 2024

Enduring threat

THE death this week of journalist Nasrullah Gadani, who succumbed to injuries after being attacked by gunmen, is yet...
IMF’s unease
Updated 24 May, 2024

IMF’s unease

It is clear that the next phase of economic stabilisation will be very tough for most of the population.
Belated recognition
24 May, 2024

Belated recognition

WITH Wednesday’s announcement by three European states that they intend to recognise Palestine as a state later...
App for GBV survivors
24 May, 2024

App for GBV survivors

GENDER-based violence is caught between two worlds: one sees it as a crime, the other as ‘convention’. The ...