Bombing of Mokha
On 24 July 2015, between 9:30 and 10:00 p.m., the city of Mokha, Yemen, was bombed by the Saudi Arabian led coalition. The airstrikes struck two worker housing complexes for engineers and technicians at the Mokha steam power plant. The attack left between 65 and 120 dead, including at least 10 children.
Mokha Mokha (Yemen) | |
| Date | 24 July 2015 |
|---|---|
| Duration | 0:30:00 |
| Location | Mokha, Yemen |
| Coordinates | 13°20′57″N 43°15′4″E |
| Type | Airstrike |
| Target | Civilian residential compound of Mokha power plant |
| Casualties | |
| 65 – 120 dead (including 10 children) | |
| 150 injured | |
| Accused | Saudi Arabian led coalition |
According to the workers and residents of the compound, at least one aircraft dropped nine bombs in separate sorties in intervals of a few minutes. The United Nations said that at least 36 buildings – including schools, hospitals, court houses, communications institutions, and power generation facilities – were damaged or destroyed.
Mokha, a city on the coast of the Red Sea, was previously considered to be one of the safest cities during the war in Yemen. The attack was one of the deadliest attacks by Saudi Arabia against Yemen. The attack was condemned by Human Rights Watch, who investigated the scene the day after the attack, saying that the airstrike was unlawful because there was "no evident military target." Yemeni officials, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said that the distance between the attacked buildings and the closest Houthi outpost was about three miles. A military official stated that "incorrect coordinates" were given to the Saudi Arabia-led coalition.