UAE doctors save girl, 3, injured by shell in Yemen

The girl, from Hodeidah, is now in a stable condition

A three-year-old Yemeni girl who was seriously injured by a mortar shell has been saved by a four-hour operation carried out by the UAE's advanced surgical team.

The child, Sumaiya, was at her family home in the At Tuhayat District of Hodeidah when it was hit by the shell and she suffered serious injuries to the abdomen and intestines, Wam reported.

According to Dr Sultan Al-Kaabi, head of the team, which operates as part of the Saudi-led Arab Coalition, Sumaiya was swiftly taken to the field hospital currently operating on Yemen’s Red Sea Coast. She had suffered cutaneous wounds from pieces of shrapnel and was in a serious condition.

During four hours of surgery, all of the shrapnel fragments were removed and her condition was stabilised.

She will now be provided with medical treatment until she fully recovers.

Sumaiya's father later told Wam that he was grateful to the medical team for its prompt response and for its expertise which, he said, had saved his daughter's life.