Two killed in lightning strikes in Yemen

Sanaa, Aug 12 (IANS) Two people were killed by lightning strikes in Yemen's northwestern province of Hajjah over the past 24 hours, a local health source of the province said on Monday.

The accidents occurred separately in the districts of Al-Mahabishah and Al-Miftah in the eastern part of the province, Xinhua news agency reported.

Last Wednesday, lightning strikes killed five people in the nearby district of Abs, according to the health authorities.

Rains and floods in the northern part of Yemen last week killed 45 people, damaged 12,584 homes and displaced 3,640 people, according to a statement by the Yemeni Red Crescent.

The rainy season in Yemen begins in late March and intensifies from July to mid-August, severely affecting the western city of Hodeidah, the southwestern city of Taiz, and the northwestern city of Hajjah.

The World Health Organization has expressed concern about the possible spread of diseases due to contaminated water and poor sanitation during the rainy season in the conflict-affected country.

Yemen has been mired in a civil war since late 2014 when the Houthi group seized several northern provinces, forcing the Yemeni government out of the capital, Sanaa.