Toll from Houthi strike on Yemen training camp rises to 73
Local officials in Yemen's Shabwa province raised the toll from a Houthi missile strike on a training camp to 73 dead on Tuesday, October 20, the BBC and AFP reported. That is the latest figure available, up from 53 the day before, and 14 people were still missing. The Houthis said they targeted Saudi enemy forces.
Local officials in Yemen's Shabwa province say a Houthi missile strike on a training camp on Monday, October 19, killed 73 people, the BBC and AFP reported. Another 14 people were still missing as of Tuesday, October 20.
The province's officials first put the toll at 53 on Monday. On Tuesday, October 20, they raised it to 73, the BBC and AFP reported. That is the latest figure available. AFP said more than 200 others were hurt. The BBC said the first report put the number of injured at 200.
The Saudi-backed Yemeni army said the Houthis fired three ballistic missiles at al-Alam camp near the city of Ataq, the BBC reported. AFP also cited the army as saying three ballistic missiles were fired. The camp was used to train new recruits for the security forces and police, the BBC and AFP reported. AFP said all of the injured were new members of the internal security forces who were in training.
Hospitals in the province were overwhelmed, a deputy governor said, according to the BBC, which cited AFP. Some of the most badly hurt were moved to Hadramout and Aden, where the government is based.
Information Minister Moammar al-Eryani said the attack was a war crime because the camp was not a military target, the BBC reported. Rashad al-Alimi, head of Yemen's Presidential Leadership Council, condemned what he called a "criminal attack" and promised a "firm response," the BBC reported.
The Houthis took responsibility. Their military spokesman, Yahya Saree, said the missiles targeted Saudi enemy forces at the camp, the BBC and AFP reported. There was no quick comment from Saudi officials, the BBC said.
The BBC called it the deadliest attack reported since the latest fighting began. Pro-government forces, backed by a Saudi-led coalition, started a major push against the Houthis in early October, the BBC reported. The Houthis have fired missiles and drones at airports and energy sites in Saudi Arabia, the BBC said.
Shabwa has major oil and gas fields and the Balhaf gas terminal, the country's largest energy site, AFP reported. A government military source said the army feared the strikes could lead to a ground attack, AFP said.
What we know: Local officials said on Tuesday, October 20, that 73 people were killed and 14 were missing. That is the latest figure available.
What we don't: What happened to the 14 missing people, or whether the toll will rise again.
Where outlets agree The BBC and AFP report that local officials in Shabwa raised the toll from Monday's strike on the al-Alam training camp from 53 to 73 on Tuesday, with 14 people missing, and that the Houthis said they targeted Saudi enemy forces.
Where they differ The cited reports agree on the key facts so far.