Dozens dead as dairy plant bombed in war-torn Yemen
At least 37 workers were killed and 80 wounded overnight at the dairy in the port city of Hodeida.
SANAA (AFP) - Dozens of civilians were reported dead Wednesday after a dairy plant was bombed in Yemen, as aid groups warned of a brewing humanitarian crisis from Saudi-led strikes on Shiite rebels.
Rights groups have voiced growing alarm about civilian casualties from the nearly week-old air war aimed at preventing the fall of President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi.
At least 37 workers were killed and 80 wounded overnight at the dairy in the port city of Hodeida, provincial governor Hasan al-Hai said, without specifying whether the factory was hit by an air strike or rebel shelling.
The head of the provincial health authorities, Abdulrahman Jarallah, gave a toll of 35 people killed and dozens wounded.
Part of the factory was destroyed and rescue teams were looking for survivors under the rubble, according to a medic at a Hodeida hospital that received the casualties.
The circumstances of the bombing were unclear, with some witnesses saying the dairy was hit by a coalition air strike and others blaming rebel forces loyal to former president Ali Abdullah Saleh.
The Saudi-led coalition bombarded rebel positions early Wednesday in Yemen s main southern city Aden in a seventh night of raids that also targeted the capital and other areas.
The Aden strikes were focused on the rebel-held provincial administration complex in Dar Saad in city s north, according to a military official.
He said there were "many dead and wounded" among the Huthi Shiite rebels but was unable to give a precise toll.
Egypt warns rebels
The coalition has vowed to keep targeting the Huthis and allied army units loyal to Saleh until they end their insurrection.
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi urged the rebels to "back off" for the sake of their country, saying Cairo is participating in a military campaign there for Gulf Arab security.
"The stability of Yemen and the safety of its people hangs from your necks," Sisi said in a televised speech to military and police officers.
Iran is accused of backing the rebels but Tehran denies providing military support.
The headquarters of a renegade army brigade loyal to Saleh was targeted overnight in the north of Aden, as well as the city s international airport, the military official said.
Militia fighters on Hadi s side have captured 26 Huthis during the clashes in Aden, one of their leaders said.
Six civilians were killed in an air raid targeting Maydi in the northwest province of Hajjah, according to medical sources.
Coalition planes targeted camps of army units loyal to Saleh around Sanaa and in the central region of Ibb overnight, according to residents.
And several Huthi positions were targeted in the northern rebel strongholds of Hajjah and Saada.
After entering the capital in September, the Huthis and their allies gradually conquered areas in the centre, west and south before bearing down on Aden last month, prompting Hadi to flee to Saudi Arabia.
The embattled president had taken refuge in Aden in February after escaping house arrest in the capital.
Verge of collapse
Since Friday at least 93 civilians have been killed and 364 wounded, the UN human rights office said Tuesday.
"We have reports that the hospitals are really full of dead and injured people," spokeswoman Cecile Pouilly told AFP. "We have heard about lots of dead bodies."
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra ad Al Hussein warned that Yemen "seems to be on the verge of total collapse".
Amnesty International accused the coalition of "turning a blind eye to civilian deaths" as it reported four children were among six burned to death in strikes on Ibb, in central Yemen.
A spokeswoman for European Union foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini said the conflict was having "terrible consequences" for civilians.
The coalition s spokesman said the alliance seeks to avoid killing civilians even though the Huthis had moved fighters into villages.
"Collateral damage can happen... but I confirm to you that the coalition takes all care," said Brigadier General Ahmed Assiri.
At least 62 children have been killed and 30 hurt in the past week, according to the UN children s fund.
"Children are in desperate need of protection, and all parties to the conflict should do all in their power to keep children safe," said UNICEF s Julien Harneis.
