Manama: At least 26 people have been killed and more than 60 injured in an attack on the airport in the Southern Yemeni city of Aden, shortly after a jet landed carrying members of the newly formed government.
Three loud explosions and gunfire were heard on Wednesday afternoon as members of Yemen’s cabinet got off the plane, the Guardian reported.
Clouds of smoke billowed from the terminal building. Initial reports suggested the blasts had been caused by mortar shelling or missiles. Officials at the scene said they saw bodies lying on the tarmac and elsewhere at the airport.
According to reports, the total number of casualties is expected to rise. Several civilians, journalists and government officials are believed to be among the dead. The International Committee of the Red Cross said three staff members had died in the attack, report added.
The cabinet members were transferred to the city’s heavily fortified Al Maasheeq palace in Aden following the incident.
The Guardian reported another explosion hit close to the Masheeq Palace. There were no immediate reports of injuries or fatalities from the second blast site.
"We and the members of the government are in the temporary capital of Aden and everyone is fine,” Prime Minister Maeen Abdulmalik Saeed tweeted.
In a tweet, Salem Thabet from the Southern Transitional Council (STC) tweeted that members of the government and local authorities were not harmed.
The new Yemeni government was formed earlier this month as part of a Saudi-brokered deal between the Yemeni government and STC.
Yemeni President Abd Rabbo Mansour Hadi had decreed the formation of the 24-member government, led by previous Prime Minister Maeen Abdulmalik Saeed.
Images from the airport shared on social media showed blood, rubble and broken glass was strewn near the airport building and at least two bodies, one of them charred, on the ground.
Footage from the scene shows many ministers rushed back inside the plane or ran down the stairs, seeking shelter.
Aden’s airport is the only fully functioning airport for 28 million people in the blockaded country. Damage to the airport could leave Yemen in crisis.
Yemen has been embroiled in the 5-years-long civil war that has killed more than 1,00,000 people, while 14 million are at risk of starvation, according to the UN. The civil war in Yemen began on 2014 related to anti-government protests and soon the Houthi militia took control of the capital, Sana'a and pushed President Abed Rabbo Mansour and the government to Aden. In 2015, Saudi-led coalition forces started airstrike against Houthis, and the next year they started ground attacks
