Medical officials say rebel shelling in city of Taiz killed 23 people and drew air strikes in response that killed a further 35, with at least 10 children among dead

This article is more than 5 years old

This article is more than 5 years old

The latest heavy fighting in a key southern Yemeni city has killed 58 civilians and wounded at least 50, medical officials said on Friday, reporting the casualties from the previous day.

According to the officials, rebel shelling in the city of Taiz first killed 23 civilians and provoked air strikes by the Saudi-led coalition that has been targeting the Shia Houthi rebels since March.

The subsequent air strikes killed 35 people and demolished five houses in the eastern neighbourhood of Sala, from where the rebels launched their attacks. Of those killed, at least 10 were children, the officials added, speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to talk to reporters.

“It was a hellish night,” said Taiz resident Omar Karim, who could not sleep for the sound of the shelling as he and his family cowered in their basement for shelter.

Yemen’s fighting, which escalated in March, pits the Houthis and troops loyal to former president Ali Abdullah Saleh against southern separatists, local and tribal militias, Sunni Islamic militants and troops loyal to President Abd Rabbu Mansour Hadi, who are backed by the Saudi-led coalition.

The UN says health facilities in Yemen have reported more than 4,000 conflict-related deaths since March.

Meanwhile, in the port city of Aden, witnesses on the Gold Mohur beach said that on Wednesday a masked group of armed men led six men in orange jumpsuits with their hands tied behind their backs on to a boat that was subsequently blown up. The boat, the witnesses said, was dragged out to sea by another boat before being detonated remotely.

The explosion killed the six captives, whose identities were not known, said the witnesses, speaking on condition of anonymity fearing for their own safety.

No group claimed responsibility for the killings but Islamic State-affiliated militants have carried out such slayings in the past.

Also on Wednesday, Isis-affiliated militants claimed an attack that killed a Yemeni soldier at a checkpoint in Hadramawt province. Associated Press could not independently verify the claim, which was posted by Isis sympathisers on Twitter on Thursday.