Food, aid destroyed in UN World Food Programme warehouse blaze

Authorities are investigating the cause of a fire which destroyed warehouses filled with cooking fuel, aid and food in the Houthi-controlled Yemeni port of Hodeidah.

Witnesses raised the alarm at about 1100 (GMT) on Saturday, March 31.

Thick plumes of black smoke billowed into the sky.

Port workers said they believed the blaze was sparked by an electrical fault.

The port handles the bulk of Yemen's imports including critically-needed food and aid supplies.

A United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) spokesperson said large quantities had been lost in the fire.


The three-year war in the country, which was already the Arab world's poorest, has pushed it to the verge of famine.