Three killed in Yemen, homes collapse in heavy rain

SANAA, Jan 4 (Reuters) At least three people have been killed and hundreds displaced in Yemen after their homes collapsed in heavy rain, government officials said today.

Stormy weather has been pounding Yemen, one of the poorest countries in the Arab world, for days, causing rock slides that have blocked roads and made it harder to get aid to the worst-affected areas, local council officials said.

At least nine people were also injured in the wet weather, they told Reuters.

The western area of Rayma was among the worst hit with over 200 people left homeless after 70 houses collapsed. Around 50 houses were also destroyed in the Dhammar region and many more were badly damaged, they said.

Seasonal wet weather often damages property and causes land slides in Yemen. The country's main weather centre said scattered rain was expected to continue for at least 48 hours, the official Saba news agency said.

REUTERS DKA VV1915