Flash Flood In Yemen Claims 25 Lives

A local health source revealed that 25 lives have been lost since flood struck the Al-Mehwit region of Yemen. 24 hour long downpour caused the flash flood that damaged the three dams and swept away dozens of the houses in the Malhan district Tuesday.

Rescue operations are underway to find the missing villagers, a source reported. Earlier this month,  45 people had lost their lives due the heavy rain and flash floods in Hodeidah and Hajjah. It also had damaged over 12,000 homes, according to local health authorities, Xinhua news agency reported.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has expressed concern about potential disease outbreaks due to contaminated water and poor sanitation during the rainy season in Yemen. The country is already struggling with a civil war that began in 2014 when the Houthi group seized several northern provinces, causing the Yemeni government to flee the capital, Sanaa.

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On August 25, flash floods and landslides in Indonesia’s North Maluku province resulted in the discovery of 13 bodies, with six people still missing, said a senior official.

Yemen, which has been embroiled in a near-decade-long war, faces severe floods almost annually. These floods are triggered by torrential rainfall, with climate change worsening the frequency and intensity of precipitation.

Since July, flash floods have resulted in 36 deaths in Hodeida province, nine in Ibb, eight in Marib, and seven in Taiz, according to a report released on August 19 by the UN humanitarian agency OCHA.