Over 50,000 civilians fall victim to decade of civil war in Yemen: Houthis group

The Yemeni civil war had left more than 50,000 civilians dead or injured in the past 10 years, causing severe humanitarian crisis in the country, according to the latest data released by the Houthi group on Wednesday.

In 2014, a conflict broke out between the Yemeni government and the Houthi group, and the latter took over the Yemeni capital of Sanaa in September. In March 2015, a number of Arab states launched the a joint operation coded "Decisive Storm" against Houthis. Since then, the country has fallen into a state of war.

The data showed that the war has killed 15,885 people and injured 34,594 others in the war.

Meanwhile, 165 medical facilities were destroyed, and 376 others were partially damaged in the war, with over 55 percent of medical institutions shut down, one pharmaceutical factory and two oxygen plants destroyed, and 100 ambulances scrapped.

"The war has had a huge impact on every aspect of life in Yemen, especially the medical field. The shortage of fuel supply has exacerbated the hardship in medical services. Due to the difficulty in operating the Sanaa International Airport, drug imports are obstructed, and many patients in urgent need of treatment are unable to go abroad for medical treatment," said Anis al-Asbahi, spokesman of the Houthi-run Ministry of Health and Environment.

The war has also left many children malnourished and stunted, and many pregnant women suffering health problems in Yemen, while some diseases that had disappeared have resurged in the country. Meanwhile, the shortage of medicine and the large-scale loss of medical staff have further exacerbated the medical crisis.

After the Houthis' takeover of Sanaa, Yemen presents a stark picture of north-south division. The Houthis control most of the northern areas, including Sanaa and the strategic Red Sea port of Hodeidah. The internationally recognized Yemeni government, led by the Presidential Leadership Council since April 2022, mainly controls the southern and eastern regions, with Aden serving as the temporary capital.

Over 50,000 civilians fall victim to decade of civil war in Yemen: Houthis group

Over 50,000 civilians fall victim to decade of civil war in Yemen: Houthis group

Over 50,000 civilians fall victim to decade of civil war in Yemen: Houthis group

Over 50,000 civilians fall victim to decade of civil war in Yemen: Houthis group

The death toll from a landfill collapse in the central Philippine city of Cebu has risen to eight by Monday morning as search and rescue operations continued for another 28 missing people.

The landfill collapse occurred on Thursday as dozens of sanitation workers were working at the site. The disaster has already caused injuries of 18 people.

Family members of the missing people said the rescue progress is slow, and the hope for the survival of their loved ones is fading.

"For me, maybe I’ve accepted the worst result already because the garbage is poisonous and yesterday, it was raining very hard the whole day. Maybe they’ve been poisoned. For us, alive or dead, I hope we can get their bodies out of the garbage rubble," said Maria Kareen Rubin, a family member of a victim.

Families have set up camps on high ground near the landfill, awaiting news of their relatives. Some people at the site said cries for help could still be heard hours after the landfill collapsed, but these voices gradually faded away.

Bienvenido Ranido, who lost his wife in the disaster, said he can't believe all that happened.

"After they gave my wife oxygen, my kids and I were expecting that she would be saved that night because she was still alive. But the night came and till the next morning, they didn't manage to save her," he said.

Death toll in central Philippine landfill collapse rises to eight