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Air raid kills dozens in Sanaa

April 20, 2015

An airstrike on a missile base in Yemen's capital has killed dozens of people and wounded hundreds, according to medics and Houthi rebels. The Saudi-led strike sparked powerful explosions and flattened houses.

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Jemen - Saudi-Arabien bombardiert Raktendepot
Image: MOHAMMED HUWAIS/AFP/Getty Images

A huge explosion rocked Sanaa during Monday's airstrike on the missile base at Fag Atan, blowing out the windows of nearby houses, according to witnesses. The complex is situated on a hill on the city's outskirts, near a district of homes, businesses and international embassies.

"Twenty-five citizens were killed and more than 398 were wounded, mostly women and children, according to a preliminary figure after the Saudi aggression's bombing today," the Saba state news agency, which is run by the Houthis, reported.

Those figures could not be independently verified and the exact death and injury toll remained unclear. News agencies citing medical officials have reported that between 15 and 40 people have been killed and more than 300 people wounded. The death toll may yet rise.

'Biggest explosion yet'

Indonesia's foreign minister, Retno Marsudi, said his country's embassy was damaged and two diplomatic staff members were injured in the attack.

"The Indonesian government reaffirms that the bombing is proof that violent resolution to a problem would only harm innocent civilians," he said.

People fill containers with water from a water tanker
There is an acute shortage of clean drinking water in SanaaImage: Reuters/M. al-Sayaghi

Sanaa resident Adel Mansour said Monday's explosion was the biggest in more than three weeks of bombing.

"For the first time since the start of the bombing the windows of my house smashed," Mansour told Reuters. "My children are terrified and one of my relatives fainted because of the blast."

Since March 26, a Sunni coalition led by Saudi Arabia has been targeting Shiite Houthi rebels and their allies in Yemen. Their aim is to put a stop to the Houthis' advance and restore the authority of President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi, who escaped to Riyadh earlier this year as the Houthis advanced on his refuge of Aden.

Saudi Arabia has accused its regional rival Tehran of backing the Houthis, something the rebels have denied.

se/cmk (dpa, AFP, Reuters)