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UN calls for international inquiry into 'outrageous' Yemen airstrike

The UN has called for an international inquiry into the airstrike on a funeral hall which left 140 people dead in Yemen.

The attack - which also injured over 500 - was one of the deadliest in the country's civil war and has been blamed on the Saudi-led coalition.

UN Human Rights chief Zeid Ra'ad al Hussein condemned the "outrageous" attack and said an independent international inquiry should be carried out into possible war crimes in the country.

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UN reiterates call for independent inquiry into Yemen war

The UN says more civilians are being targeted in Yemen's conflict. Credit: Reuters/Khaled Abdullah

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein, has reiterated calls for "an independent, international inquiry" into alleged war crimes taking place during the conflict in Yemen.

His comments came as international condemnation continued over an attack on a funeral hall in Sanaa over the weekend which left more than 140 people dead.

Mr Al Hussein said civilians were increasingly being targeted in Yemen by all of the sides involved in the war.

Since the beginning of this conflict in Yemen, weddings, marketplaces, hospitals, schools – and now mourners at a funeral – have been hit, resulting in massive civilian casualties and zero accountability for those responsible.

This deadly attack comes just weeks after the UN Human Rights Council, for the second year in a row, dismissed my call to take decisive action to create an international, independent investigative body to look into extremely serious alleged violations of international law, including possible war crimes, in Yemen.

The Human Rights Council’s inability to take decisive action by setting up an international investigation is contributing to a climate of impunity, and violations continue to occur on a regular basis. Such outrageous attacks cannot be allowed to continue.

– Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein

Since March 2015, at least 4,125 civilians have been killed and 7,207 injured in Yemen's conflict according to the UN.

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Yemen: Funerals for mourners killed in airstrike

Yemenis demonstrate after the Saudi-led airstrikes Credit: Reuters

Planes from a Saudi Arabia-led Arab coalition patrolled the skies in Yemen during the funerals for 140 people killed in an airstrike.

The coalition is believed to have struck a Houthi funeral gathering in Yemen's capital, Sanaa, over the weekend, injuring more than 500 people.

As the funerals for the dead took place, coalition planes were said to have been seen in the sky, ITV News Correspondent Neil Connery reported.

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Johnson calls for investigation into Yemen funeral bombing

The bombing at a funeral left over 140 dead and hundreds injured Credit: Reuters

Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson called on Saudi Arabia to carry out an "urgent investigation" into an airstrike on funeral mourners in Yemen.

Mr Johnson said he had spoken to Saudi counterpart Adel al-Jubeir, whose country leads a coalition against Houthi rebels in Yemen.

An airstrike, purportedly carried out by the coalition, left at least 140 dead and over 500 injured in Yemen's capital and rebel-held Sanaa.

ITV News Correspondent reported that coalition planes were seen in the skies as funerals for the mourners took place.

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