SANA’A: A Yemeni coast guard vessel on Friday hit a naval mine suspected of being planted in the Red Sea by rebels and the explosion killed two sailors and wounded eight, including the ship’s captain, security officials said.
The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they weren’t authorised to brief journalists.
It was the first such explosion of a naval mine since Yemen’s civil war began. Saudi-led coalition forces combating Yemen’s Shiite rebel forces, known as Al Houthis, had previously warned of the presence of naval mines planted by Houthi militants in the Red Sea.
Late Friday, medical and security officials said an air strike by the coalition killed at least a dozen people and wounded dozens more when it hit popular market in Yemen’s coastal Hodeidah province. They said the death toll was likely to rise. The officials insisted on anonymity because they weren’t authorised to speak to the press.
The war in Yemen, which began when Al Houthis seized Yemen’s capital of Sana’a in September 2014, has killed more than 10,000 and displaced over 3 million people.
The Saudi-led coalition began a campaign against the Al Houthis in March 2015 in support of Yemen’s internationally recognised government. The war has ground into a stalemated conflict in recent months. Peace efforts by the United Nations also have faltered.
