SANA’A (Dispatches) – At least eight people have been killed and over 170 others injured as a result of a fire at a migrant detention facility in the Yemeni capital city Sana’a, the regional office of the International Organization for Migration (IOM) for the Middle East and North Africa has said.
The fire broke out on Sunday. The cause is yet to be determined.
"We are deeply saddened by the death of the refugees and guards in the migrant detention facility in Sana’a as a result of a fire. Eight people died, however, the final tally is expected to be much higher. Condolences to the families of the victims and all those injured,” the IOM regional office wrote on Twitter late on Sunday.
The organization added it was providing medical assistance to over 170 injured, 90 of whom are in critical condition.
Associated Press news agency reported that the immigration detention center is believed to be holding about 700 people.
The impoverished country has been engulfed in a war led by Saudi Arabia and its allies since 2015. The Saudi regime launched a devastating war on the country to bring former president Abdrabuh Mansour Hadi to power.
The war has left hundreds of thousands dead or injured and millions homeless and hungry.