Air Strike On Yemen Prison Leaves At Least 70 Dead

Saada, Yemen, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 22nd Jan, 2022 ) :At least 70 people were killed in an air strike on a prison as Yemen's long-running conflict suffered a dramatic escalation Friday that drew condemnation from UN chief Antonio Guterres.

The Huthi rebels released gruesome video footage showing bodies in the rubble and mangled corpses from the attack, which levelled buildings at the prison in their northern heartland of Saada.

Further south in the port city of Hodeida, at least three children died when air strikes by the Saudi-led coalition hit a telecommunications facility as they played nearby, Save the Children said.

Yemen also suffered a country-wide internet blackout.

"The children were reportedly playing on a nearby football field when missiles struck," Save the Children said.

Eight aid agencies operating in Yemen said in a joint statement they were "horrified by the news that more than 70 people, including migrants, women and children, have been killed... in a blatant disregard for civilian lives".

They said the prison in Saada was used as a holding centre for migrants, who made up many of the casualties.