Dozens of others were wounded and the death toll was likely to rise as rescue teams struggled to reach the village of Al-Lassbah in a mountainous district of Taez province, the rebel-controlled Saba news agency said.

The area was hit by "heavy rain that caused a collapse of rocks on houses," Saba said, citing a local source.

The impoverished south Arabian Peninsula country is frequently hit by heavy downpours which trigger landslides and floods. In April, 24 people were killed in northern Yemen following heavy rain which caused a dam to burst.

Taez province is largely under the control of Shiite Huthi rebels who have seized large parts of Yemen, prompting a Saudi-led military intervention in support of the country's internationally recognised government.