Rains and floods kill 7, destroy homes in Yemen

Sanaa, Jan 5: At least seven people have been killed and thousands driven from their homes by torrential rains and flooding in Yemen, government officials said yesterday.

Rain 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 hard to get aid to the affected areas.

The western area of Rayma and the southern Dhamar province were among the worst hit. Officials said more than 600 houses had been destroyed or damaged across the country, leaving more than 2,000 people homeless.

Yemen's main weather centre said scattered rain was expected to continue for at least 48 hours, the official Saba news agency said.

REUTERS