Big blast at Aden airport claims more than a dozen

AFP

A large explosion struck the airport in the southern Yemeni city of Aden on Wednesday, shortly after a plane carrying the newly formed Cabinet landed there, security officials said. At least 16 people were killed and 60 were wounded in the blast.

The source of the blast was not immediately clear and no group claimed responsibility for attacking the airport.

Footage from the scene showed members of the government delegation disembarking as the blast shook the grounds. No one on the government plane was hurt but many ministers rushed back inside the plane or ran down the stairs, seeking shelter.

Officials at the scene said they saw bodies lying on the tarmac and elsewhere at the airport. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to talk to the media.

Yemeni Communication Minister Naguib al-Awg, who was also on the government plane, said that he heard two explosions, suggesting they were drone attacks.

Prime Minister Maeen Abdulmalik Saeed and the others were whisked away from the airport to the Mashiq Palace in the city.

“It would have been a disaster if the plane was bombed,” he said, insisting the plane was the target of the attack as it was supposed to land earlier.

Mohammed al-Roubid, deputy head of Aden’s health office, said that at least 16 people were killed in the explosion and 60 were wounded.