14 women and children drowned in shipwreck off Yemen coast

22 people died in a shipwreck off Yemen’s Red Sea coast earlier this week, authorities said on Wednesday, Xinhua News Agency reports.

According to the report, the accident occurred on Tuesday afternoon off the Alluheyah district in the northern part of Hodeidah port city, Akram Al-Ahdal, an official from the district’s Council, told Xinhua.

The passengers, all local villagers, were on their way from Alluheyah to Kamaran Island, the largest Yemeni island in the Red Sea, to attend a wedding ceremony of a relative, the official said, adding that the fatalities included 12 women, seven children and two men.

“Six people survived the accident and were taken to the Al-Thawra Hospital in the city of Hodeidah, to receive first aid,” he revealed, noting the accident was probably caused by a strong wind.

Kamaran Island and Hodeidah port have been under the control of the Houthi rebels since October 2014.

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