
Screen grab of explosion circulated on social media
The explosion occurred on Saturday in the Zaher district, where medical and emergency response teams are continuing search operations for potential missing persons, the health authorities said in a brief statement. Civil defense units are working to secure the area.
Meanwhile, the Houthi-controlled interior ministry said the blast impacted four gas stations and nearby commercial facilities, causing significant material damage. Authorities have launched an investigation to determine the cause of the incident.
A local government official had earlier reported that the explosion killed at least 15 people and injured more than 65.
Al-Bayda provinceis controlled by Yemen's Houthi rebels, who have been at war with Yemen’s internationally recognized government for more than a decade.
Yemen’s civil war began in 2014, when the rebels took control of the capital, Sanaa, and much of the country’s north, forcing the government to flee to the south, then to Saudi Arabia.
A Saudi-led coalition entered the war in March 2015, backed at the time by the US, in an effort to restore the internationally recognized government.
The war has killed more than 150,000 people including civilians and combatants, and in recent years deteriorated largely into a stalemate and caused one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises.
Short link: