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Overnight Saudi-led air strike kills 21 civilians in Yemen's capital

Xinhua, May 1, 2015 Adjust font size:

At least 21 civilians were killed when an overnight air strike by Saudi-led coalition forces mistook its target in the Yemeni capital of Sanaa, medics and residents told Xinhua on Friday.

"So far, 21 civilians, among them eight members from one family, were killed and 11 others wounded when a midnight Saudi-led air raid bombed a populated residential neighborhood of Sawan area," a medic said.

Residents said nine houses were totally destroyed as the whole neighborhood was damaged, which locates less than one km north of the U.S. embassy in Sanaa.

Rescue operation teams are searching for possible survivors.

The airstrikes also hit military sites and the Shiite Houthi group gathering on the outskirts of Sanaa, as well as the al-Dailamy military airport.

Meanwhile, the warplanes targeted several military bases under control of former President Ali Abdullah Saleh and the Houthi group in the provinces of Saada, al-Hodayda, Taiz, Amran and Marib.

Ground battles between Houthi militia and tribesmen in central province of Marib and southern Taiz province continued on Friday. There was no immediate reports of casualties.

The humanitarian situation sharply deteriorated in Yemen where people in most of the region have no access to water, electricity, cooking gas and fuel since last month.

The death toll have reached more than 1,000 since the battles and airstrikes began in late March, and more than 3,000 people were wounded across the country, according to statistics released recently by the Yemeni government.

On March 26, Saudi Arabia started airstrikes against the Houthi group and forces loyal to former President Saleh who was accused of supporting the Houthis to overthrow Hadi, aiming to reinstate the Yemeni government.

Last week, Saudi Arabia announced the halt of air raids, saying that the coalition forces had eliminated threats of the Houthi group to the regional countries. However, the warplanes of the Saudi-led forces still carried out daily operations in Yemen against the Houthis and Saleh since then. Endit