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Yemeni crisis worsening hourly: UN

Xinhua, April 11, 2015 Adjust font size:

The humanitarian situation is getting worse by the hour in Yemen, said a UN spokesman Friday.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), violence killed 643 people and injured 2,226 between March 19 and April 6, UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said in a daily briefing here.

Heavy clashes were reported in Aden, a seaport city in Yemen, over the last 24 hours, and an unknown number of health workers and volunteers in Aden, including staff of a Yemeni NGO, were abducted by parties to the conflict and taken to unspecified locations, he said.

The status of the hostages is unknown, and concerns are mounting for their well-being, said the spokesman.

Johannes Van Der Klaauw, the UN Humanitarian Coordinator for Yemen, called on all the parties for an immediate humanitarian pause in this conflict so that humanitarian organizations and personnel can safely deliver assistance to the most vulnerable Yemeni people, according to the spokesman.

Meanwhile, an airlift of urgent medical and other supplies from the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF), the first of the kind, arrived earlier Friday at Sana'a International Airport. More airlifts are being planned for the future.

The 16 metric tonnes of medical equipment and water supplies that have been shipped over will be made available to organizations working on the ground in Yemen.

According to the World Food Programme, 12 million people are now food insecure in Yemen, up by 13 percent since the end of 2014. Endite