Cairo: Five Yemeni children had been killed when an explosive planted by the Iran-allied Al Houthi militia went off in the port city of Hodeida, Al Arabiya television reported Thursday.
The explosion occurred in the village of Manqam in the southern part of Hodeida, the television added. The victims were aged between seven to 13 years.
The incident is the latest in a series of explosions targeting civilians in the western city
Hundreds of civilians have been killed by landmines and explosives planted by Al Houthis in residential areas in Hodeida over the past five years.
Last December, the Yemeni government and Al Houthis reached a UN-brokered deal on a ceasefire in Hodeida. The pact, signed in Sweden, has since faltered over Al Houthi intransigence and breaches.
At least 217 civilians have been killed and 2,152 others injured by the militia in the city since the truce came into force there nearly a year ago, a Yemeni military report said this week.
Al Houthis seized Hodeida in late 2014 when they overran parts of Yemen, plunging the impoverished country in a ruinous war.
Hodeida is strategically important because of its key port through which most Yemen’s imports and aid enter.
