Cyclone Luban hits Yemen, strands families
Children from a local neighbourhood play in a roadside puddle accumulated from rain brought by Cyclone Luban in Salalah, Oman, October 13, 2018. (Reuters Photo)


A tropical storm has struck Yemen's eastern Mahra province, injuring scores of people and displacing hundreds of families from their homes, local Yemeni spokesman said Monday.

"Heavy rains and floods have left more than 100 people injured while one person was missing," Issa al-Qumeiri told Anadolu Agency.

He said 150 houses were damaged while more than 2,000 families were evacuated since Cyclone Luban hit the province Sunday.

"The province has become a disaster zone," he said, calling on the Yemeni government and international organizations to provide emergency relief to residents.

"There is widespread infrastructure damage in the area," he said.

Governor of Mahra, Rageh Bakreet, posted on Facebook images of men standing on top of their buildings in the governorate of Mahra in eastern Yemen, after Luban made a strong landfall.

Bakreet describes the situation as "disastrous" and says the only way to rescue the families is by airlift. He adds that "the situation surpasses our humble capabilities."

The governor has ordered all government offices and schools to shut temporarily amid power outages across most of Ghaida.

Cyclone Luban formed in the Arabian Sea off Oman last week.

This is the fifth time the tropical storm struck Yemen since 2015.

Impoverished Yemen has remained wracked by violence since 2014, when Shia Houthi rebels overran much of the country, including capital Sanaa.