A Houthi missile strike on Yemen’s al-Alam training camp killed 73 recruits, injured more than 200 and left 14 people missing, local authorities said Tuesday, October 20, as fighting in the country intensified.
Three ballistic missiles struck the camp in Shabwa province on Monday, October 19, during a training session, Yemeni military officials said. The death toll was first reported as 53 before provincial authorities announced the higher figure. Shabwa Governor Awad Ibn al-Wazir said the dead recruits were aged 18 to 20.
Some people were still unaccounted for the day after the attack. Officials said the recruits were training for internal security and police work in the province, not for front-line combat. More than 200 others were injured.
Some of the most seriously wounded were transferred to hospitals outside Shabwa. The Houthis acknowledged the strike and said they targeted what they described as Saudi forces at the camp. Yemeni officials identified the camp as a security training centre.
The attack comes amid renewed clashes between the Houthis and Yemen’s internationally recognized government. The clashes followed the collapse of a truce that had lasted for years.