Share

Pregnant journalist killed in bombing on way to Yemen hospital to give birth, husband wounded

accreditation
0:00
play article
Subscribers can listen to this article
  • A pregnant Yemeni journalist and her reporter husband were targeted in a bomb attack while on the way to hospital for her to give birth.
  • Rasha Abdallah died and her husband Mahmud al-Atmi was wounded in the explosion, which took place in Aden.
  • The couple had worked with a number of local and regional media outlets, and also have a two-year-old child.


Dubai – A pregnant Yemeni journalist was killed and her reporter husband was wounded in a bomb attack on their car as they travelled to hospital for her to give birth, the husband and a security source said.

The source from government forces told AFP:

An explosive device planted in the car of journalist Mahmud al-Atmi blew up as he was taking his wife Rasha Abdallah to hospital to deliver her baby.

The bombing took place in the southern city of Aden, the temporary seat of the Yemeni administration.

Abdallah, 27, also a journalist, and her husband had worked with a number of local and regional media outlets.

They have a two-year-old child.

There was no immediate claim for the bombing, but Atmi said he suspected Yemen's Iran-backed Huthi rebels of being behind the attack.

"They were trying to find out my home address," he told AFP.

'World's worst humanitarian crisis'

The Huthis seized the capital Sanaa in 2014, leading the internationally recognised government to relocate to Aden and prompting intervention of a Saudi-led military coalition which supports it.

Tens of thousands of people, mostly civilians, have been killed and millions displaced since the conflict erupted in 2014, in what the UN calls the world's worst humanitarian crisis.

At least 12 civilians, including children, were killed late last month in a car bomb blast near the airport of Aden.

The explosion came almost three weeks after six people were killed in a car-bomb attack that targeted Aden's governor, who survived.

Aden is home to a separatist movement that last year precariously integrated into the central government, and both have long been aligned against the Huthi rebels in the grinding civil war.

Yemeni journalists have been among the casualties of the conflict.

Last year Nabil Hasan al-Quaety, a Yemeni journalist who contributed to AFP, was gunned down and killed, also in Aden.

The 34-year-old videographer and photographer, who also worked for other major news organisations in the region, was shot in his car by unknown assailants shortly after leaving his home.

Never miss a story. Choose from our range of newsletters to get the news you want delivered straight to your inbox.

We live in a world where facts and fiction get blurred
Who we choose to trust can have a profound impact on our lives. Join thousands of devoted South Africans who look to News24 to bring them news they can trust every day. As we celebrate 25 years, become a News24 subscriber as we strive to keep you informed, inspired and empowered.
Join News24 today
heading
description
username
Show Comments ()
Voting Booth
Should the Proteas pick Faf du Plessis for the T20 World Cup in West Indies and the United States in June?
Please select an option Oops! Something went wrong, please try again later.
Results
Yes! Faf still has a lot to give ...
68% - 1794 votes
No! It's time to move on ...
32% - 844 votes
Vote
Rand - Dollar
18.82
-1.0%
Rand - Pound
23.54
-0.6%
Rand - Euro
20.10
-0.6%
Rand - Aus dollar
12.21
+0.2%
Rand - Yen
0.12
-0.2%
Platinum
942.70
-1.8%
Palladium
944.50
-3.6%
Gold
2,296.97
-1.7%
Silver
26.40
-2.7%
Brent Crude
88.40
-1.2%
Top 40
69,925
-0.7%
All Share
76,076
-0.5%
Resource 10
61,271
-4.3%
Industrial 25
105,022
+0.4%
Financial 15
16,592
+1.0%
All JSE data delayed by at least 15 minutes Iress logo
Editorial feedback and complaints

Contact the public editor with feedback for our journalists, complaints, queries or suggestions about articles on News24.

LEARN MORE