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2nd LD: Saudi airstrike hits Yemeni refugee camp, kills 40: ministry

Xinhua, March 30, 2015 Adjust font size:

Yemen's defense ministry, which is controlled by Shiite Houthi militia, said a Saudi-led airstrike on Monday hit a local displaced refugee camp in northern Yemen, killing more than 40 people and injuring 250 others.

It said the refugee camp consists of 4,000 people and locates at al-Mazrak area in Haradh district on the northwest borders with Saudi Arabia. The casualties included women and children, the ministry added without providing further details.

In the meantime, warplanes of Saudi-led Arab coalition forces continued raiding the Yemeni capital of Sanaa and other major provinces on Monday, as the airstrikes against the Shiite Houthi group enters the fifth day.

The airstrikes continued around the clock on weapons depots and missiles bases on mountains overlooking the capital, as well as al-Dailami Airforce Base in northern Sanaa.

Huge explosions rocked the capital as smoke and fire could be seen at the targeted sites. There is no immediate report on casualties.

Official Saba news agency, which is controlled by the Houthis, reported Saturday that death toll from the airstrikes over the past four days rose to 48, with 157 injured.

On March 26, Saudi Arabia and fellow Gulf Cooperation Council member states launched airstrikes on Houthi positions in Yemen, a move condemned by Iran but supported by the United States, Egypt, Jordan, and Morocco.

Saudi Arabia said the Saudi-led military airstrikes against the Houthis in Yemen will continue until security is restored and Yemeni President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi, who left the country last week, is able to rule.

The Shiite Houthi forces ousted Yemeni President Hadi in February and forced him to flee the capital city Sanaa to the southern seaside city of Aden, turning Yemen into a field of violence and raising fears of a civil war in the chaotic country. Endit