SANAA (AFP) — At least 24 people died in Yemen when floods caused by heavy rains swept through the southeastern province of Hadramaut, which has been declared a disaster zone, officials said on Friday.
Hadramaut Governor Salem al-Khanbashi said the bodies of 18 people who had drowned had been recovered in various parts of the region.
A local official from the nearby province of Mahra said a child was among six other people who perished when four provinces in eastern Yemen were flooded in torrential rains that have lashed the region since Thursday.
Hadramaut and Mahra were both declared disaster zones, officials said.
Initial reports by a crisis cell set up to coordinate rescue efforts, indicated that 18 people perished, including seven in Al-Mukalla, capital of Hadramaut which is located on the Arabian Sea.
A cell member, speaking on condition of anonymity, told AFP the UNESCO world heritage site of Shibam was totally isolated by the waters and its historic buildings are threatened with collapse.
Shibam, where more than 20,000 people live, is famous for its high-rise mudbrick buildings that have given the town the nickname of "the Manhattan of the desert."
Witnesses said they saw bodies floating in streams swelled by a downpour that lasted for some 30 hours.
Local authorities said that more than more than 500 house had been destroyed across the province of Hadramaut, where 3,500 people were made homeless.
A cargo vessel also ran aground off the port of Nashtun in Mahra, but all 17 crew members were rescued, a member of the crisis cell in Al-Mukalla said.
Local authorities said the floods caused heavy damage to roads and power and water distribution networks.
Five army helicopters were flown to the area to try to rescue thousands of people stranded by the floods, he said. Choppers belonging to oil firms operating in the area were also enlisted to help.
But gusty winds hampered rescue efforts and more rain was forecast in the next 30 hours.
In Shibam, some 450 kilometres (280 miles) northeast of Al-Mukalla, clusters of five- to eight-storey homes stand huddled together in a small area, in a layout aimed at protecting the town from Bedouin raids, according to UNESCO's description of the site.
Built with the profits from frankincense, which is still sold there, Shibam was established in the third century, though the existing buildings are mostly from the 16th century.
The high rises, whose tops are regularly white-washed with a sealant to protect against rain and erosion, require constant maintenance by their inhabitants.
President Ali Abdullah Saleh visited Al-Mokalla earlier Friday to oversee rescue operations after tasking a government commission with handling the effort.
At least 25 people were killed in Yemen in April 2006 in floods and lightning brought on by torrential rains in eight provinces of the impoverished Arabian Peninsula country.
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