Fire death toll in Yemeni immigration detention center rises to 60
Xinhua News Agency, Cairo, March 8 (Reporter Wang Shang) Sana’a News: An official of the Houthi armed group that controls the Yemeni capital San’a said on the evening of the 8th that the fire at an immigration detention center in Sana’a on the 7th had caused 60 People died and more than 100 people were injured.
The official said in an interview with the media that there were more than 600 illegal immigrants from Somalia and Ethiopia at the immigration detention center. The fire triggered a panic stampede on the scene, and dual factors caused heavy casualties.
In addition to illegal immigration, the dead also included staff from immigration detention centers.
The International Organization for Migration previously stated on the evening of the 7th that a fire broke out in an immigration detention center in Sana’a that day, resulting in 8 deaths and more than 170 injuries.
The International Organization for Migration issued a statement on the 8th, calling on the Houthis to conduct security inspections of all immigration detention centers under its jurisdiction to ensure the lives of immigrants.
In recent years, a large number of immigrants from Ethiopia, Eritrea and other countries have traveled to the Arabian Peninsula through the Mande Strait between Djibouti and Yemen in search of job opportunities.
According to data from the International Organization for Migration, more than 138,000 migrants smuggled from Africa to Yemen in 2019.
In September 2014, the Houthi armed forces seized the Yemeni capital Sana’a and then occupied southern Yemen.
In March 2015, the multinational coalition launched a military operation code-named "Decisive Storm" against the Houthis.