Two killed in flash floods

Two people were killed and a number of houses destroyed in flash floods that hit the village of Ma’abar, in the southwestern Thamar governorate, on the night of 20 February. “Two people were killed and five injured including an eight-month old baby who died this morning from the cold,” said Ahmad al-Azab, coordinator of the interior ministry’s local disaster management unit. Al-Azab added that 10 houses had been destroyed and seven partially damaged, while between 30 and 40 mud-brick homes were on the verge of collapsing. Flooding has also reportedly cut off the main road linking the capital, Sana, to the country's south. On Tuesday, rescue workers airlifted out some 260 people trapped in their homes, said Abdulsalm al-Ahsab, head of the Yemeni Red Crescent Society. He added that evacuees would be housed in nearby schools and hospitals. According to official sources, 345 people have so far been evacuated to safer areas, including 95 children. Local residents, however, complain that a lack of rescue equipment has hampered relief efforts. “Our relatives are trapped in their houses and we cannot do anything to help them,” said Ma’abar resident Hussein al-Ma’abari. “Government rescue workers couldn’t lift the trapped people due to a lack of rescue machines.” According to the Yemeni Red Crescent, it is unclear how many people remain trapped in their homes. The Civil Defence Department at the interior ministry, in collaboration with the United Nations Development Programme office in Sana, held an urgent meeting on Tuesday to organise a response to the disaster. The most urgent needs were for food, accommodation and water supplies, humanitarian sources said. The Aviation Authority has warned of expected rains that may cause further damage in some governorates. Last August, flash floods killed 12 people in Yemen. The worst rains to hit Yemen fell in 1996, resulting in some US $1.2 billion of property damage.