The prison in question is located in the city’s al-Zaydiyah district and was reportedly holding 84 inmates. It was shelled three times late Saturday, Hashem al-Azizi, deputy governor of the Houthi rebel-controlled Hodeidah province of the same name, told Reuters.

A witness at the prison site told the news agency the entire building was destroyed and medics pulled bodies from under the rubble – many of them missing limbs.

One of the strikes allegedly targeted the building directly, while two others hit the prison gate and nearby administration buildings.

According to Ruptly news agency, a Saudi-led coalition airstrike also hit the port of Hodeidah. The video filmed by Ruptly crew shows port infrastructure destroyed by mortars and still smoking, while firefighters try to extinguish the flames.

There was no immediate comment on the airstrike from the Saudi-led coalition.

Saudi Arabia intervened in the Yemen conflict to fight Houthi rebels and restore ousted Sunni President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi to power in March 2015. The intervention has so far claimed the lives of at least 10,000 people, including almost 4,000 civilians, according to the latest UN figures.

READ MORE: Despite slaughter at Yemen funeral, Middle East minister still justifies UK-Saudi arms sales

The majority of victims are killed in airstrikes. Since the beginning of the conflict, there have been reports of Saudi jets targeting schools, hospitals, marketplaces, and other civilian buildings.

In the latest incident, at least 17 civilians, including 11 members of one family, were killed in the western Yemeni city of Taiz on Saturday.

Earlier this month, Human Rights Watch (HRW) accused the Saudi-led coalition of war crimes following an airstrike on a funeral. On October 8, at least two air-dropped munitions penetrated the roof of a hall containing over 1,000 mourners during a funeral ceremony, also in Hodeida port city. At least 140 people were killed and 610 wounded.

Peace talks between opposing parties in Yemen mediated by the UN, which aimed to bring hostilities to an end, faltered in August, and fighting continued.

Exiled President Hadi rejected another UN peace plan on Saturday, saying it would be a path to more war and destruction. According to Reuters, the proposed plan suggests sidelining Hadi and setting up a government of less divisive figures.

Speaking after a meeting with UN envoy Ismail Ould Cheickh Ahmed in Riyadh, Hadi blasted the plan, saying it would “reward the rebels and penalize the Yemeni people and legitimacy,” Reuters reported, citing government-controlled Saba news agency.

___
http://www.rt.com/news/364720-yemen-airstrike-prison-killed/