Yemenis find rare leisure time at Sanaa lake

Children swim during an excursion at a dam in Sayyan near Sanaa, Yemen May 16, 2021. Picture taken May 16, 2021. REUTERS/Khaled Abdullah

SANAA (Reuters) - A countryside dam outside the Yemeni capital Sanaa provides the city's residents with a rare distraction from the six-year civil war that has left many facing poverty and hunger.

Jet skis and small boats ply the water. Children scream and shout with joy as they jump in and out of the lake, a one-hour car journey from Sanaa.