There are growing fears of diseases such as cholera spreading as civilians continue to flee the escalating conflict in Yemen, Islamic Relief warns.

More than 125,000 people have fled their homes so far, as the violence has surged in the past few days. Most are sheltering in desperate and overcrowded conditions without clean water or decent sanitation.

Islamic Relief teams are working in Taiz, Lahj and Aden governorates, where many families have sought shelter in crowded schools, camps or on the streets. 

Khanzad Shah, Islamic Relief’s water, sanitation and hygiene coordinator in Yemen, said:

“The number of people fleeing is increasing every day and they face appalling conditions. They don’t have water or food to survive, or cash to buy what they need. In one of the school shelters that we visited, children were crying from hunger. People are sleeping on the floor of overcrowded classrooms. They are drinking contaminated dirty water, and they don’t have decent sanitation facilities.

“These conditions are ripe for an outbreak of deadly water-borne diseases such as cholera.