United Nations, June 8 (RHC)-- The United Nations say 20 million people, 78 percent of the population, need urgent humanitarian aid in Yemen. The numbers constitute an increase of four million from just three months ago.

Aid agencies have urged Saudi Arabia to ease a naval blockade depriving Yemen of basic goods. Saudi Arabia has also failed to hand over any of the $274 million dollars it pledged to the UN emergency humanitarian fund for Yemen in April.

The news comes amid continued fighting between Houthi rebels and rival forces backed by the Saudi-led coalition. On Sunday, dozens of Houthi-allied soldiers were killed in an airstrike in the capital Saana. Saudi Arabia also shot down a scud missile fired by Houthi forces across the border from Yemen.

Over the weekend, a Saudi airstrike in Saada province killed at least 50 people, most of them civilians.