At least 8 killed in Yemen avalanche
(AP)
Updated: 2005-12-29 09:07

A mountain avalanche swept away at least 30 houses in a tiny Yemeni village on Wednesday, killing at least eight people, the Interior Ministry said.

Officials said scores more people could be trapped beneath the rubble in the village of Dhafeer, about 60 miles north of San'a, the capital. Ambulance cars rushed to the village and a state of emergency was declared in the capital's major hospitals.

The bodies of eight family members were pulled from the destroyed houses, but nightfall slowed the search for others, officials said.

Interior Minister Rashad al-Eleimi visited the site to monitor the search for survivors.

For centuries, Yemenis have built their houses on the sides of mountains, including some structures that are hewn into the rock-side.