ADEN, Yemen, Aug. 14 (Xinhua) -- Flash floods caused by heavy rains hit different areas of the war-ravaged Yemen, leaving 153 people killed and dozens injured during the past days, multiplying the residents woes.
A new wave of internal displacement for thousands of families resulted from the heavy rains and flash floods that also partially destroyed some of the Sanaa's old houses listed on the UNESCO World Heritage Sites.
The Iran-allied Houthi militia, who controls the country's capital Sanaa and most of northern provinces, announced recording 131 deaths as a result of the torrential rains in the areas located under their control.
The group's health authority recorded 124 injuries among the local residents, and complete destruction of 106 homes and public facilities due to the heavy rains.
Elsewhere in Yemen, in the areas controlled by the internationally-recognized government, 22 deaths were declared by the authorities due to the rains that also caused losses to peoples' properties.
Ishraq Subaiy, spokeswoman of the government's Ministry of Health, told Xinhua that the flash floods struck many areas during the past days, causing heavy human and material losses in the impoverished Arab country.
Ishraq confirmed that most of the deaths and injuries were recorded among the local residents in the oil-rich northeastern province of Marib that's controlled by the government.
She noted that a number of camps of the Internally displaced people (IDPs) in Marib and the country's Red Sea port city of Hodeidah were damaged, creating a catastrophic situation for thousands of the displaced families.
Dozens of residential houses were destroyed by the flash floods that also killed more than 350 head of livestock in the government-controlled provinces.
A number of agricultural areas and farms located in Marib and the southern province of Abyan were completely eroded by the flash floods, according to Ishraq.
The Yemeni official called on the United Nations and the international community to intervene "urgently" to help the people and reduce the effects of the fash floods in Yemeni provinces.
The United Nations on Tuesday called for more funds for Yemen as 16 of its 22 governorates are being flooded.
Humanitarian organizations are assessing the situation and mobilizing emergency assistance, including relief items for flood-affected families, said the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).
The UN reported that the floods have led to the repeated displacement of people, with about 29,000 people already displaced in Dhalea, Abyan and Hodeidah affected.
Entire houses have been damaged, with roads, telecommunication and Internet services affected in Sanaa Governorate, and electric towers and sanitation stations affected in Marib Governorate, according to the UN.
The United Nations Educational, Cultural and Scientific Organisation (UNESCO) announced on Tuesday that it had mobilised fundraising efforts and expertise to protect the cultural heritage damaged by flooding in Yemen.
The UNESCO confirmed that the World Heritage Sites were damaged due to the rains in the cities of Zabid in Hodeidah, Shibam in the southeastern province of Hadramout and the Old City of Sanaa.
The UN organisation expressed its deep sorrow for the loss of life and property in a number of historical centres across the country.
On Thursday, the National Center for Meteorology warned against rainy weather accompanied with thunderstorms and instability in a number of Yemeni provinces, and called on citizens to take the necessary precautions. Enditem
