REVISES DEATH TOLL
By Ali Oweida
MAARIB, Yemen (AA) – Dozens of people were killed Thursday when a bus carrying children came under attack in Yemen’s northwestern Saada province, according to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC).
“According to local officials, a total of 50 people died and 77 were injured this morning,” the ICRC’s Yemen office said on Twitter.
It said the “vast majority ” of the dead and injured were children.
Without providing any details on the incident, it held Yemen’s Houthi rebel group responsible for the attack.
“Under international humanitarian law, civilians must be protected during conflict,” it added.
Yemen has remained wracked by violence since 2014, when Shia Houthi rebels overran much of the country, including the capital, Sanaa.
The conflict escalated in 2015 when Saudi Arabia and its Sunni-Arab allies launched a massive air campaign in Yemen aimed at rolling back Houthi gains.
Earlier, Yemen’s Houthi-run Al-Masirah television channel announced that 39 people had been killed in Thursday’s attack and 51 others injured.
In a statement, a Houthi spokesperson blamed the Saudi-led coalition for the attack.
“On Thursday morning, Saudi warplanes committed a heinous massacre targeting a school bus in the city of Dahyan in Saada,” said Mohamed Abdel-Salam.
The Saudi-led coalition has yet to comment on the incident.
