Middle East
Yemen: Huge fire destroys aid supplies at Hudaida port
World Food Program warehouses full of cooking fuel and food supplies burned in rebel-held port.
31Mar. 2018
Firefighters try to extinguish a fire engulfing warehouse of the WFP in Hudaida [AbduljabbarZeyad/Reuters]
A "huge" fire has broken out in Yemen's rebel-held Hudaida port, destroying large quantities of aid supply.
The blaze on Saturday engulfedwarehouses full of cooking fuel and food supplies belonging to the United Nation'sWorld Food Program (WFP), the Houthi-run Saba news agency reported.
"The fire destroyed huge amounts of fuel and humanitarian aid and foodstuff," a WFP employee told Reuters news agency, adding that there would be an investigation to determine the cause, which remained unknown.
Some port workers said it might have been triggered by an electrical fault, while others blamed negligence.
"Had the fire been controlled from the beginning, it wouldn't have reached this extent," saidMohammed Ghalleb, a guard of a storage facility.
"By sunrise, the fire was huge, warehouses were burning, and the fire was expanding and spreading from store to store."
Abdul Rahman al-Faqih, director of public relations of the Hudaida Civil Defense Branch, said: "Maybe negligence was the cause of the fire. Security and safety procedures were not at the required level, despite the existence of stickers and logos detailing safety measures."
Hudaida port, situated on the Red Sea, handles the bulk of Yemen's imports, including food and aid supplies.
Yemen, the Arabian Peninsula's poorest country, has been wracked by violence since theHouthisoverran the capital Sanaa in September 2014.
The conflict escalated in March 2015 after a coalition of Arab countries assembled bySaudi Arabialaunched a massive bombing campaign aimed at rolling back their advances.
Athree-year civil warin the country has led to massive food shortages and the "worst recorded cholera outbreak",accordingto the World Health Organization (WHO).
The UN, which callsYementhe "world's worst humanitarian crisis", says22.2 million people are in need of aid, while 8.4 million are on the verge offamine.
In November 2017, the Saudi-led coalition eased a three-week-long blockade on rebel-held parts of Yemen, following an international outcry.
However,rights groups warnedthat the specter of mass famine would continue to loom over Yemen
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