Coalition raid kills 31 at Yemen wedding: medics

A Saudi-led coalition air strike hit a wedding in southwest Yemen on Monday, killing at least 31 people including children, medics and witnesses said.

“The bodies of 31 people, including children, have been taken to a hospital in Mokha city,” a medical source said, adding that dozens more were wounded in the bombardment of a wedding hall in the Red Sea city.

Most of the wounded are in serious conditions, the medic said.

Witnesses reported that warplanes struck the wedding hall in Mokha, which is controlled by Shiite Huthi rebels.

The Saudi-led coalition launched an air campaign against the rebels in late March in support of embattled President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi, who fled to Riyadh.

Air strikes have in the past hit non-military areas, drawing criticism from rights groups.

In late August, an air raid hit a bottled-water factory in the northern hajja province, killing 17 civilians and 14 rebels.

A similar strike in July at the residences of employees of a power plant in Mokha killed 65 civilians.

Another attack on a dairy plant in the Red Sea port city of Hodeida in April left 35 civilians dead.