Flooding kills 18 in war-torn Yemen

SANAA – Yemeni security officials and witnesses say flooding in the war-battered city of Taiz has killed at least 18 people and that another 32 have gone missing.

They said Wednesday that the floodwaters were 12 feet deep in some places, the highest in decades, and had swept away dozens of vehicles. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to brief reporters.

Taiz has been the focus of heavy fighting between Shiite Houthi rebels and government forces, which are backed by a Saudi-led coalition.

The civil war has killed over 10,000 civilians. An outbreak of cholera has killed more than 2,000 people since late April. The U.N. has warned that the cholera epidemic could worsen with the onset of heavy rains and flooding.