Minister Maeen Abdulmalik Saeed instructed the local authorities in Shabwa province to intensify efforts to deal with rainfall to protect people, state news agency Saba New reported. 

Torrential rain and flooding in Yemen has killed at least 20 people, displaced thousands and destroyed hundreds of houses and farms across the war-torn country, local government officials and media reports said.

The prime minister briefed the Governor of Shabwa, Mohammad Salih bin Adio, during a phone call on Tuesday evening on the existing needs to deal with the damage caused by the torrential rain.

Saeed – who is currently in Riyadh - called for the coordination of ministries and relevant authorities to work with the emergency committees to address the flooding. 

Local health officials said hospitals were braced for an increase in fatalities and injured people, as the rainstorms continued to lash residential areas, washing away farms and livestock.

Aden, the interim capital of Yemen, was declared a “disaster area” in April after heavy rain and flash floods killed at least nine.