Saudi airstrike in Yemen leaves 20 civilians dead

An air raid in Yemen has killed at least 20 people mostly from the same family, the United Nations (UN) and witnesses said Wednesday, the latest in a series of suspected strikes on civilians by a Saudi-led coalition.

The attack on Tuesday afternoon hit a group of civilians in the Mawza district of the southwestern province of Taez, a statement by the UN refugee agency said.

Residents said the attack was carried out by a warplane from the Saudi-led coalition fighting rebels in support of Yemen's internationally recognised government.

At least seven women and four children were among those killed, they said.

The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) said it was “deeply shocked and saddened at reports of the deaths and injuries of a number of internally displaced persons in an aerial attack” on the area.

The statement said the civilians had fled fighting in the nearby Mokha district, on the Red Sea coast.

Coalition-backed forces loyal to Yemen President Abd Rabbu Mansour Hadi recaptured the port of Mokha in February as part of a major ongoing offensive to drive rebels from Yemen's lengthy coastline.

The UNHCR statement said more than half a million civilians, 27 per cent of Yemen's internally displaced people (IDPs), originate from the governeorate of Taez.