A wedding in Yemen ended in tragedy when the “mentally disturbed” father of the bride hurled two grenades, killing eight women, four children and himself, an official and relative said Tuesday.
Eighteen others, including women and children, were wounded in the incident late Monday in the town of Yarim, in western Ibb province, the official said.
A relative said the father, Hazaa Sharman, was a “mentally disturbed retired army officer.”
Yemen is awash with personal weapons and carrying firearms is entrenched in the traditions of the Arabian peninsula republic.
The impoverished nation has been ravaged by an 18-month conflict between Iran-backed rebels and government forces supported by a Saudi-led Arab coalition.
More than 6,600 people have been killed since the coalition launched its intervention, most of them civilians, and at least three million people have been displaced, according to the United Nations.