Yemen: Floods claim the lives of five people, including four children

Arab Sea Newspaper - News Updates

Arabian Sea - Yemen - Follow-ups: Five people, including four children, have died as a result of torrential floods that swept through the governorates of Hadramout, Shabwa, and Marib, following heavy rains caused by a low-pressure system affecting the Gulf of Aden and the Arabian Sea since Thursday evening. Local sources said that two children, aged six and eight, drowned in the Al-Jadfra area of Bayhan district in Shabwa, while a young man died after being swept away by floods in the Al-Suwayri area of Tarim district in Hadramout governorate. Marib governorate also recorded the death of two girls due to the collapse of the roof of a mud house in Al-Wadi district due to rain. The heavy rains caused significant damage to infrastructure and property, and flooded several residential areas in Hadramout, including the historic city of Shibam, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, as well as the cities of Hura, Seiyun, and Tarim. The floods also swept away dozens of cars and cut off the main roads between the coast and Wadi Hadramout and the eastern regions. In Shabwa governorate, the floods inundated large areas of agricultural land and a number of valleys. The Early Warning Center in Hadramout had warned of a new wave of heavy rains starting last Tuesday and continuing until the beginning of next week, noting that the first depression extended from Aden to the western governorates and the Red Sea, causing widespread damage. Since mid-June, several mountainous and coastal Yemeni governorates have been experiencing severe climate changes that have caused dozens of casualties and damage to IDP camps. According to the World Bank, Yemen is one of the most vulnerable countries in the region to the repercussions of climate change.