| Sanaa funeral airstrike | |
|---|---|
| Part of the Saudi Arabian-led intervention in Yemen and Yemeni Civil War | |
  Sanaa Sanaa (Yemen) | |
| Location | Sanaa, Yemen |
| Coordinates | 15°17′22″N 44°12′03″E / 15.28944°N 44.20083°E |
| Date | 8 October 2016 |
| Target | Funeral in Sanaa |
Attack type | Airstrike |
| Deaths | 143–155 civilians[1] |
| Injured | 525+ |
| Perpetrators |  Saudi Arabia |
| External videos | |
|---|---|
 Video of the second strike, provided by The Daily Telegraph. |
The Sanaa funeral airstrike took place on the afternoon of 8 October 2016 when 155 people were killed and at least 525 more wounded when two airstrikes, about three to eight minutes apart, hit the packed Al Kubra hall in Sanaa, Yemen during a funeral. The attack was the deadliest single bombing in the then-two year long Yemeni civil war.[2] The funeral was being held for the father of former interior minister Jalal al-Rowaishan. Sanaa mayor Abdel Qader Hilal was reportedly among those killed.[3][4] The Saudi-led coalition initially denied responsibility but then took responsibility and put the blame on information given by the Yemeni government.[5][6]
The United Nations alleged that the Saudi-led coalition had violated international humanitarian law[7] because the bombing was a 'double tap' attack, or a type of airstrike where the first bombing is followed by a second one soon after, with the aim of targeting the wounded, aid workers, and medical personnel tending to them. The UN report said: "The second air strike, which occurred three to eight minutes after the first air strike, almost certainly resulted in more casualties to the already wounded and the first responders." Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir said that his government was being careful to abide by humanitarian law; however, it stated that its strike on the funeral hall was based on "incorrect information" given to them by the Yemeni government and that it had been carried out without authorization.[7][8]
Human Rights Watch identified the munitions used in the airstrike as 500-pound laser-guided bombs manufactured by the United States, and called on the U.S. to suspend arms sales to Saudi Arabia.[9]
- ^ Sanchez, Ray (8 October 2016). "US: No blank check for Saudi Arabia in Yemen". CNN. Archived from the original on 27 December 2016. Retrieved 28 December 2016.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
VICE48hourEscwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ "Saudis probe 'heinous' airstrike that kills 140 mourners in Yemen". Sky News. 9 October 2016. Archived from the original on 1 November 2016. Retrieved 1 November 2016.
- ^ "Top military brass among those killed in Yemen funeral strike". Middle East Eye. 12 October 2016. Archived from the original on 20 March 2017. Retrieved 20 March 2017.
- ^ "Yemen funeral hall attack 'kills 82'". BBC News. 8 October 2016. Archived from the original on 8 October 2016. Retrieved 8 October 2016.
- ^ Ghobari, Mohammed (8 October 2016). "Attack on mourners in Yemen kills 82: acting health minister". Reuters. Archived from the original on 8 October 2016. Retrieved 8 October 2016.
- ^ a b Nichols, Michelle (20 October 2016). Brown, Tom (ed.). "Saudi coalition violated law with Yemen funeral strike: U.N. monitors". Reuters. Archived from the original on 30 June 2017. Retrieved 25 September 2019.
- ^ "Saudi coalition attacked Yemen funeral based on wrong information: inv". Reuters. 15 October 2016. Archived from the original on 7 February 2018. Retrieved 6 February 2018.