Nearly 70 people, including three children, have been killed and more than 130 injured in airstrikes in Yemen, according to reports.
The Saudi-led coalition is believed to be behind the deadly offensive, having boosted up operations on areas held by the Iranian-backed Houthi rebels, who control much of Yemen.
The airstrikes hit a detention center run by the Houthis near the northern city of Saada, as per reports.
Save Children organization said that nearly 100 others were injured, while Doctors Without Borders said the figure was “around 200”.
Aid workers are working to clear the rubble with more casualties expected to be discovered.
The airstrikes have damaged a telecommunications center in Hudaida, resulting in a nationwide internet blackout, according to NetBlocks
The strike was “a blatant attack on civilian infrastructure that will also impact our aid delivery,” said the Norwegian Refugee Council.
In 2015, a coalition led by Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates launched an offensive to restore Yemen’s internationally recognized government, after it was ousted by the Houthis. The coalition intensified its attacks after a Houthi missile and drone strike in the UAE capital Abu Dhabi earlier this week.
The Saudi-led coalition has acknowledged carrying out “accurate airstrikes to destroy the capabilities of the militia” around Hudaida’s port.
Earlier this week the Houthis claimed responsibility for an unprecedented assault on the UAE, which is a member of the coalition. The strike killed nearly three people and injured at least six others.
Voicing grave concern over the military escalation, United Nations envoy for Yemen Hans Grundberg called on both sides to “exercise maximum restraint”.
