UNITED
NATIONS - More than 140 people were killed and more than 525 injured
Saturday when air strikes hit a funeral ceremony in Yemen, a United
Nations official said, with Huthi rebels blaming the attack on the
Saudi-led coalition.
The
UN humanitarian coordinator in Yemen, Jamie McGoldrick, said aid
workers were "shocked and outraged" by the attacks that hit a community
hall in the capital Sanaa where mourners had gathered.
"Initial
reports from health officials in Sanaa indicate that over 140 people
were killed and over 525 injured," he said in a statement.
The
UN aid official called for an immediate investigation and said the
international community must exert pressure to ensure civilians are
protected.
"This violence against civilians in Yemen must stop immediately," said McGoldrick.
One
of the Arab world's poorest countries, Yemen slid deeper into chaos
when the Saudi-led coalition launched its air war in March 2015 to push
back Huthi rebels and their allies who still hold the capital.
Saturday's
strike was one of the deadliest attacks since the bombing campaign
began in support of Yemeni President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi.
In
a statement to AFP, the Saudi-led coalition said it had no operations
at the location and "other causes" for the incident must be considered.
The coalition "has in the past avoided such gatherings and (they) have never been a subject of targeting," it said.
More
than 6,700 people -- most of them civilians -- have been killed in
Yemen since the coalition intervened, according to the United Nations.
source:tmph
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