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Saudi-led airstrikes hit missile warehouse in Yemen capital, explosions caused

Xinhua, May 12, 2015 Adjust font size:

War planes of the Saudi-led coalition forces launched air strikes on arms and missile caches in Yemen's capital Sanaa Monday evening, causing a series of large explosions that rocked the ground, local residents told Xinhua.

"The Saudi-led warplanes apparently attacked a missile and arms warehouse in Nuqom Mountain in eastern parts of the capital Sanaa, followed with intensive explosions as a result, " Ahmed Fuad, a Sanaa-based resident, told Xinhua by phone.

"A few minutes ago, massive explosions shook my house. Mushroom cloud and plumes of black smokes can be seen rising from the mountain's top," Fuad said.

"Hearing the sounds of missiles exploding everywhere is a terrifying feeling. Many houses located nearby the bombing site were badly affected," Fuad added.

Widespread panic are witnessed in Yemen's capital Sanaa after the blasts, and several ambulances rushed to rescue the injured, according to local residents.

A medical source confirmed to Xinhua that "initial reports indicate that scores of civilians were either killed or injured due to the large blasts."

The Saudi-head alliance has been bombing the Houthi group and forces loyal to former President Ali Abdullah Saleh since March 26, aiming to reinstate the government of President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi, who was forced to flee the country.

The death toll from the battles between Houthis and Hadi's supporters, as well as the airstrikes, have exceeded 1,200, while more than 3,000 people were wounded across the country, according to statistics released by the Yemeni government.

Hundreds of thousands of people, especially in the southern regions, fled their homes after Houthi fighters entered southern provinces to fight supporters of Hadi.

On Sunday, the Houthi group and the army welcomed a Saudi proposal for a five-day cease-fire to allow aid to be delivered to the country, as battles and air strikes have caused a severe humanitarian crisis in the heavily-impoverished country. Endit