September 02, 2017 - 5:29 AM
CAIRO - The founder of Yemen's Red Crescent has died in the war-torn country's capital due to deteriorating health.
Physician Mohammed al-Kaattaa said Abdullah al-Khamessi, who was in his 70s, died Friday in Ibn Sinaa hospital in Sanaa.
Al-Kaattaa said al-Khamessi's family had tried to deliver stents — a medical device used to treat narrow or clogged arteries — but the closure of the Sanaa airport for over a year hindered the process.
Still, the physician said al-Khamessi's age and deteriorating health were the primary reasons for his death.
A Saudi-led coalition backing an internationally recognized government had imposed a blockade on the country, which is crippled by a two-year long civil war.
News from © The Associated Press, 2017