'Family massacre': Yemeni man goes on rampage killing 12 family members

A Yemeni man killed at least a dozen people, including his wife and three children, in a family dispute in Yemen’s central province of Bayda, security officials said on Tuesday.

The father of three was trying to settle an internal dispute with his wife who was staying at her family’s house for three weeks after delivering the couple’s third child, the officials said.

The man, thought to be in his 20s or 30s, opened fire on his wife’s family, killing at least 12 people and wounding four others including three policemen, they said. Among the dead were his wife, two children and the couple’s 20-day old infant, the officials said.

Local reports say at least 14 people were killed.

Security forces killed the man in an exchange of fire while he attempted to flee, the officials said. 

It was not immediately clear what sparked the family’s dispute. 

The officials said the incident took place late Monday in the al-Shareia neighbourhood in the city of Bayda.

The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to brief the media.

Yemen plunged into chaos and civil war when the Houthi rebels took over the capital, Sanaa, in 2014 from the internationally recognised government.

The war was further exacerbated in 2015 when a Saudi-led coalition allied with the government intervened to fight the Houthis.

The war in Yemen has spawned the world’s worst humanitarian crisis, leaving millions suffering from food and medical shortages.

Read also: Killers of 24-year-old Yemeni shop worker face execution

It has killed over 112,000 people, including fighters and civilians, according to a database project that tracks violence.

Agencies contributed to this report.

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