SANAA: A suspected Saudi-led air strike killed at least 28 people at a wedding in a rebel-held town in Yemen, witnesses and rebels said on Thursday, even as UN peace efforts made headway.

The Saudi-led coalition, under mounting criticism over the civilian death toll of its bombing campaign against Iran-backed rebels, denied any involvement in the latest attack.

It was the second alleged coalition air strike on a Yemeni wedding party in just over a week.

The new raid hit a house where dozens of people were celebrating on Wednesday evening in the town of Sanban in Dhamar province, 100 kilometres south of the capital Sanaa, residents said.

“Coalition warplanes launched the attack. The house was completely destroyed,” said resident Taha al-Zuba.

“Warplanes were heard in the area ahead of the attack”. The rebels’ Almasirah television said on Twitter that the wedding was hit by “aggression warplanes”, referring to the coalition.

Medical sources said 28 people were killed, raising an earlier toll of 13 dead.

Another 10 people were wounded, the sources said.

Coalition spokesman Brigadier General Ahmed al-Assiri said the allies did not launch any air strikes in the vicinity.

Published in Dawn October 9th, 2015

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