An air raid by an Arab coalition killed 60 people in Yemen, including inmates of a prison near the city of Hodeidah, medical sources said.

The Saudi-led alliance that conducted the raid said it struck a "central security building" used as a military command center by the Houthi rebels it is fighting.  Local officials said the prison lies within a security complex but that only prison guards were present during the air strike.

"This building is used by Houthi militia and the forces of the deposed president as a command and control center for their military operations," a statement by the coalition said, referring to former president Ali Abdullah Saleh, a Houthi ally.

Read more: Reuters