2nd LD-Writethru: Body of Yemen's slain ex-president Saleh buried in Sanaa: top official

SANAA, Dec. 9 (Xinhua) -- A senior Houthi official told Xinhua that the corpse of Yemen's slain ex-president Ali Abdullah Saleh was buried on Saturday morning in the capital, six days after Houthis killed Saleh following deadly street clashes in Sanaa that erupted after Saleh switched sides of alliance.

The official said Saleh's corpse was first handed over to the Parliament Speaker Yahya al-Raiee amid limited attendance from Saleh's supporters and Parliament members.

Then, the official said, the corpse was buried.

The official refused to reveal the location where Saleh was buried, but he said "Saleh's tomb is in Sanaa."

The official talked to Xinhua on condition of anonymity.

On Monday, dominant Houthi fighters killed former President Ali Abdullah Saleh, his relatives and his senior aides after three days of deadly street clashes between Houthi movement and Saleh's armed loyalists in Sanaa.

Officials at Saudi-backed Saleh's party vowed to revenge their leader's death and to continue fighting against the Houthis.

The clashes first erupted last week after Saleh's loyalists prevented Houthis from entering a Saleh-run mosque to secure a nearby religious celebration organized by the group in Sabeen Square in central Sanaa.

The clashes then intensified and turned into street fighting after Saleh announced disengagement of his alliance with the Houthis and declared war against them, citing allegedly "Houthi assaults on his family members."

Hours after Houthis announced the death of Saleh, the Houthi leader Abdul-Malik al-Houthi made a televised speech, saying his group had allegedly "foiled a plot by ex-president Saleh to involve all Yemeni people in armed chaos," accusing Saleh of betrayal.

Death toll from the week-long clashes in Sanaa has increased to 234 people, while 400 others were wounded, including 383 severely injured, the International Committee of the Red Cross for the Middle East said Tuesday.

Together, Saleh and Houthis had aligned in fighting against the Saudi-led coalition since Saleh's loyalists backed Houthis in storming Sanaa in 2014 and forcing Saudi-backed president Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi and his government into exile.

The clashes in Sanaa and surrounding provinces stopped on Monday following the announcement of Saleh's death, while the security situations are calm.

Meanwhile, the Saudi-led coalition warplanes have since launched over 60 airstrikes on positions of Houthis inside and outside Sanaa, targeting Houthi positions, according to local media. Enditem