U.N. chief slams deadly attack on funeral ceremony in Yemen

U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has condemned the attack on an event hall in the Yemeni capital of Sana'a, where hundreds of people were gathered for a funeral ceremony.

Initial reports indicated that the Saudi-led coalition conducted the attack, which killed at least 160 people, in airstrikes, Ban said in a statement issued late Saturday night by his spokesman.

"The secretary-general notes that any deliberate attack against civilians is utterly unacceptable and calls for a prompt and impartial investigation of this incident," the statement said, "Those responsible for the attack must be brought to justice."

Ban also expressed his sincere condolences and sympathies to the families of the victims and wished a speedy recovery to those injured, the statement said.

"The secretary-general once again reminds all parties to abide by their obligations under international humanitarian law -- including the fundamental rules of proportionality, distinction and precaution -- to protect civilians and civilian infrastructure against attack," it added.

More than 530 people were injured Saturday in the attack on the funeral hall, reports said.

Some witnesses said senior Houthi officials and their ally, former Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh, were in the hall.

Houthi rebels, supported by forces loyal to Saleh, seized Sana'a and some other Yemeni cities in September 2014, forcing President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi and his government into exile.

The Saudi-led coalition, which supports Hadi and his government, launched a military air campaign against Houthis and Saleh's forces in March 2015 to restore the president to power and recapture the capital.

The coalition's air raids and ground battles have since killed more than 10,000 Yemenis, mostly children and women, and injured around 35,000 others, according to U.N. reports. Endi