At least 24 people have been reported dead due to severe flash floods in western Yemen, according to a United Nations agency on Thursday.
The floods, triggered by torrential rains and landslides, devastated Al-Mahwit province’s Melhan district on Tuesday night, burying homes and businesses under debris.
The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) in Yemen announced on social media platform X that the floods, exacerbated by the bursting of three dams, have resulted in 24 fatalities and left 17 people missing.
The UNFPA also reported that 1,020 families have been affected and numerous homes have been destroyed.
In contrast, the Iran-backed Huthi rebels’ Al-Masirah television, citing a local official, initially reported 16 deaths in Al-Mahwit, west of the capital, Sanaa.
Deputy Prime Minister Mohammed Miftah, speaking to Al-Masirah, noted that road closures caused by the floods had delayed rescue operations.
However, Al-Masirah did not mention the dam collapses that the UNFPA had reported.
The heavy rainfall, which has been ongoing in Yemen’s highland provinces for the past week, has also impacted the neighboring Hodeida province along the Red Sea coast.
In the government-held town of Hais, resident Ahmed Suleiman described the devastation, saying, “The floods swept away our homes, livestock, all our belongings, our blankets everything we had in the house.”
Another resident, Saud Majashi, lamented, “The floods took everything: our belongings, our beds, our food.”
Western Yemen’s mountainous regions are prone to heavy seasonal rains. Since late July, flash floods have claimed 60 lives and affected 268,000 people across the country, according to the United Nations.
The World Health Organization has warned of increased rainfall in the coming months, with potential levels exceeding 300 millimeters (12 inches) in the central highlands, Red Sea coastal areas, and southern uplands.
The UN has also highlighted an urgent need for $4.9 million to enhance the emergency response to extreme weather conditions in war-torn Yemen.
Climate change is exacerbating the frequency and intensity of seasonal rains in the Yemeni highlands, where much of the territory is controlled by the Huthi rebels.
A decade of conflict has severely damaged healthcare infrastructure and left millions reliant on international aid.
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