At least 17 killed and 50 seriously wounded in explosion at Yemen fuel station
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Rescue teams continuing to search for those reported missing, authorities say. At least 17 people have been killed and dozens seriously injured after an explosion at a fuel station in Yemen, health authorities have said. There are believed to be at least 91 victims of the blast in Yemen’s southwestern al-Bayda province on Saturday, the Houthi-run health ministry said.
Of those injured, more than 50 people are reported to be in a critical condition, with rescue teams continuing to search for those reported missing. “We extend our sincere condolences and sympathy to the families and relatives of the victims of the painful accident that occurred as a result of the explosion of gas stations in the village of Al-Majrish,” the ministry said in a statement.
The cause of the explosion was not immediately clear, but footage circulating online showing a huge fire which sent columns of black smoke into the sky and left charred vehicles smouldering nearby. Bayda is controlled by Iranian-backed Houthi rebels, who have been at war with Yemen’s internationally recognised government for more than a decade, in a civil war that has left more than 150,000 people dead and sparked one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises.
Elsewhere in the province, the Houthis fatally attacked and looted Hanaka al-Masoud village in the al-Qurayshiya district last week, the internationally-recognised government alleged. “This horrific attack targeted citizens’ homes and mosques, and resulted in many casualties, including women and children, and the destruction of property,” said information minister Moammar al-Eryani, alleging that the attack came after a week-long seige of the village.
