DUBAI – At least 35 people were killed in air strikes that hit a hotel near a Houthi-controlled checkpoint north of the Yemeni capital Sanaa on Wednesday, …
DUBAI – At least 35 people were killed in air strikes that hit a hotel near a Houthi-controlled checkpoint north of the Yemeni capital Sanaa on Wednesday, a medic and a Houthi-run television station said, blaming the attack on Saudi-led coalition forces.
The roof of the hotel collapsed, leaving at least two bodies dangling from the building in the Arhab area, about 20 km (13 miles) from Sanaa, a Reuters witness said.
Al-Masira TV, which is run by the Houthi armed movement that controls northern Yemen, said at least 41 “martyrs” or “victims” had been killed in the attack. It did not immediately make a direct reference to civilians or fighters.
A spokesman for the Saudi-led coalition, which is fighting the Iranian-allied Houthis in Yemen, said the alliance was collecting information on the incident, without elaborating.
Yehia Hussein, an emergency worker in the Houthi-controlled area said “Saudi-American aggressors” had targeted the hotel, which had been hosting around 100 people.
Medics had found 35 corpses as well as body parts, he said. “There are almost 13 wounded and the rest of the victims are still under the rubble, ” Hussein added.
The ground-floor structure of the gray concrete building was still standing but the upper level had been reduced to rubble with metal wires splayed into the air.
Men searched through the rubble of the hotel, while others carried a body bundled in a blanket to a white van.
“The coalition has to finish the After Action Review. Throughout our process we will put all the information together, ” said Colonel Turki al-Maliki, spokesman for the Saudi-led coalition, when asked about the strikes.
The Houthi forces are not believed to have any air power.
