Yemen explosion: At least 8 people killed in blast near Aden airport

Officials unsure over what caused explosion which has injured at least 11 people and damaged buildings

Bystanders watch as cars burn at the site of an explosion outside Aden international airport in Yemen on Saturday (REUTERS)

At least eight people have been killed in an explosion near an airport security checkpoint in southern Yemen, officials have said.

The blast took place on Saturday afternoon close to a security checkpoint outside Aden’s international airport, injuring at least 11 other people, according to officials who spoke to the Associated Press (AP) on condition of anonymity.

It was not immediately clear what caused the explosion, which damaged buildings and an internet cafe in the area.

Aden has been the home of the internationally-recognised government of president Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi since the Iranian-backed Houthi rebels took over Yemen’s capital, Sanaa, in 2014, triggering the country’s ongoing civil war.

The southern coastal city has been hit by several explosions in recent years, which have been blamed on local affiliates of al-Qaida and Islamic State groups, while the Houthis have previously targeted the city with ballistic missiles and explosive-laden drones.

In December 2020, at least 25 people were killed and more than 100 wounded after several large explosions and gunfire rocked Aden airport as senior Yemeni politicians arrived by plane from Saudi Arabia.

Although no one claimed responsibility for the attack, Yemeni authorities and an investigation by a UN team of experts found that the Houthis were responsible for the incident.

On Saturday, the rebel group shelled the residential camp neighbourhood on the outskirts of the government-held city of Taiz in an attack which killed at least three children from the same family.

Moammar al-Iryani, information minister of the internationally-recognised government, said that at least six other people were wounded.

The government-run SABA news agency reported that the Houthis fired a howitzer round that landed in the neighborhood - but there was no immediate comment to AP from the rebels.

On Thursday, a Houthi ballistic missile also struck a residential neighbourhood in the central province of Marib, killing at least 11 civilians and wounding 16 others.

Additional reporting by AP