ABU DHABI - Two pilots from the United Arab Emirates died in Yemen after their planes crashed as a result of technical failure.

According to state news agency WAM, Major Pilot Ali Saeed Saif Al Mesmari and First Lieutenant Pilot Bader Yahiya Mohammad Al Marashdeh were martyred as a result of the crash of their aircraft following a technical defect while performing their mission in the coalition forces in Yemen.

The UAE is part of the Arab Coalition fighting Houthi and Saleh militias in order to restore legitimacy in Yemen after a coup in 2014.

The General Command of the UAE Armed Forces offered its condolences to martyrs’ families, praying to Allah Almighty to rest their souls in eternal peace.

Al Mesmari, 34, from Fujairah was married and had three children, while Al Marashdeh, from Kalba in Sharjah, served in the UAE Air Force in Yemen for four months. Al Marashdeh, in his 20’s, was married and had one child.