Dozens dead after Yemen funeral airstrike

Airstrikes in the Yemeni capital Sanaa have struck a funeral wake, killing more than eighty people and injuring over 500 according to the Houthi-run administration.

The Shi’ite rebels blamed Saudi-led warplanes but the coalition quickly denied any role in the attack. Witnesses say a missile tore through a hall in the south of the city where a wake for the father of the interior minister was being held.

“The planes struck twice while they were at the wake. We don’t know how many victims there are but there are a lot of civilian casualties,” said Salim Hadwan, a witness at the scene.

Iran, Saudi Arabia’s main regional rival, called the attack a “horrific and inhuman crime”, calling for the resumption of peace talks.

Thousand of civilians have been killed since the Saudi-led air campaign started last March, the UN’s rights body says.