State Dept Urges Saudi Coalition to Probe Deadly Strike on School Bus in Yemen

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) - The United States has called on the Saudi-led coalition operating in Yemen to carry out a thorough investigation into the attack on a bus carrying children in the country’s northern Saada province, US Department of State spokesperson Heather Nauert told reports on Thursday.

"We are certainly concerned about these reports that there was an attack that resulted in the deaths of civilians," Nauert said. "We call on a Saudi-led coalition to conduct a thorough and transparent investigation into the incident."

Earlier, Yemeni media reported that the Saudi-led coalition jets had struck a school bus at a busy market in the northern Yemeni province of Saada.

According to the information from the International Committee of the Red Cross, the attack took lives of at least 50 people, injuring 77 more. ICRC said that the majority of the victims were children.

READ MORE: Arab Coalition's Airstrike on Hospital in Yemen's Hodeidah Kills 42 — Reports

Yemen is currently in a state of an armed conflict between the government headed by President Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi and the Houthi movement. The Saudi-led coalition has been carrying out airstrikes against the Houthis at Hadi's request since March 2015.