SANA’A: Al Houthi militia and their allies randomly shelled an area north of Aden Sunday, killing at least 45 people and wounding over 100, officials said.
The militants are pushing back against an offensive by their Saudi-backed rivals that uprooted them from areas they control in the strategic port city last week.
The officials said hundreds of residents fled Dar Saad, north of Aden, amid shelling from the Al Houthis that intensified on Sunday.
They said at least 45 people, believed to be civilians, were killed. Ambulances rushed to several areas, taking the wounded to various hospitals, including some operated by the international aid group Doctors Without Borders.
Abdu Mohammad Madrabi, a 65-year old resident, said he was in line outside the post office to collection his pension when the shells hit, causing chaos in the area. Madrabi, who was wounded in the neck, back and leg, said many private cars carried the wounded to hospitals because ambulances couldn’t cope.
“We are now sitting on the floor of the hospital” waiting for treatment, he said.
The shelling was intense in the neighbourhood of Sharqiya, hundreds of metres from the post office. Residents said shelling since early dawn kept them hiding at home.
The fighters, backed by Saudi-led coalition air strikes, pushed the militants out of Aden’s airport and two major neighbourhoods last week.
