A Yemeni girl was killed on Thursday by a Houthi landmine explosion in Hodeidah province, western Yemen, in an incident that highlights the ongoing humanitarian crisis caused by widespread contamination from explosive remnants of war.

According to local and human rights sources, the girl, Aisha Ali Bukheit (9 years old), succumbed to her injuries after a Houthi-laid landmine exploded while she was herding livestock in the Al-Jah Al-Asfal area of Beit Al-Faqih district, south of the province. The sources noted that the blast caused severe injuries, leading to her immediate death.

Hodeidah remains one of the Yemeni provinces most severely impacted by Houthi-laid landmines, with 835 deaths recorded since the war began in 2014, according to statistics from Hodeidah Media Center. Data reveals that the total casualties in the province reached 4,501 (killed and injured) by the end of 2023, including 586 injured individuals, most of whom suffer permanent disabilities.

Yemeni government and international reports indicate that the Houthi group has planted over two million landmines since seizing control of the capital, Sanaa, in 2014. This has turned vast areas—particularly along the western coast—into unmarked minefields, exposing civilians, including children, to constant danger.