SANAA, Aug. 22 (Xinhua) -- Six people were killed and another 17 injured when a lightning struck a gathering at a funeral ceremony in northern Yemen, local health authorities said on Monday.
The accident occurred on Sunday evening in Asha district in the northern province of Amran.
The fatalities have brought the total number of people killed by rainstorms, floods, and lightning strikes to at least 97 since July in the war-torn country, which has been battered by torrential rains, flash floods, and lightning for weeks, according to the health authorities.
According to the international humanitarian agency CARE, 190 sites housing more than 12,000 internally displaced families in the central province of Marib were destroyed by the heavy rains and floods.
The Yemeni civil war has crippled the country's healthcare system and disabled many clean water and sanitation facilities, increasing the risk of cholera and diarrhea outbreaks during the rainy season. ■
