ADEN, Yemen, March 17 (Xinhua) -- A landmine explosion killed a child and seriously injured another in the government-controlled southern province of Lahj on Sunday, a government official told Xinhua.
The landmine exploded when the two children passed on a dirt road in the village of Shuayb of Lahj Province which is controlled by the Saudi-backed Yemeni government, the source said on condition of anonymity.
The killed girl is identifed as Ghaida Mahboob while the injured one is named Omemah Saif, the Lahj-based source added.
The Shuayb village was previously under the control of the Houthi rebels, who had planted many landmines in various parts of the village before their withdrawal, he explained.
According to the source, the incident is the fifth of its kind in Lahj this year, with high civilian casualties.
Landmines and explosive devices have been claiming civlian lives in Yemen, especially in the areas liberated from the Iranian-backed Houthis.
Yemen has been locked into a civil war since late 2014, when Shiite Houthi rebels overran much of the country and seized all northern provinces, including the capital Sanaa.
The four-year civil war has killed more than 10,000 people, mostly civilians, displaced 3 million others, and pushed Yemen to the brink of famine.
