As many as 139 civilians were killed and 849 others injured in indiscriminate shelling and sniper operations by the rebel Houthi militia and group loyal to deposed president Ali Abdullah Saleh in the Governorate of Taiz, south west Yemen, in March this year, according to the Humanitarian Relief Alliance in Taiz.

In a report carried by the official Yemeni News Agency, the alliance said the death toll included 11 children and 6 women.

''Some 66 houses, government and private facilities and places of worships were affected by the war and indiscriminate bombing of residential districts last month'' the report added.

The report affirmed that the city is still living in a blackout as water and power services had been completely disconnected, in addition to a lack of health care services as a result of the suffocating siege of the city by the rebels.

The report said many schools were destroyed by aerial bombardments, forcing students out of classes.

The second semester has already begun across the country.

Source:WAM