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Blast in rebel-held Yemen capital killed 14 schoolchildren: UN

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AFP Sanaa
Last Updated : Apr 09 2019 | 5:05 PM IST

An explosion near two schools in the rebel-held Yemeni capital killed 14 children and wounded 16, the UN said Tuesday, but the cause of the weekend blast remains unclear.

Most of the child casualties in the city's Saewan district were girls under the age of nine, according to statements by both the UN children's fund (UNICEF) and the UN special envoy for Yemen.

Yemen's Huthi rebels have accused a Saudi-led military coalition backing the government of carrying out an air strike.

The coalition denied conducting any air raids on the capital on Sunday.

"A blast in Sanaa this week killed 14 children and critically injured 16. This is what UNICEF was able to verify, with the actual number of children killed and injured likely to increase," said UNICEF's Middle East and North Africa director, Geert Cappelaere.

"It was almost lunchtime and students were in class. The blast shattered the windows and unleashed a burst of shrapnel and broken glass into the classrooms."

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First Published: Apr 09 2019 | 5:05 PM IST

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