Massive blast in Yemen’s Aden leads to casualties, but governor targeted survives – reports

A major explosion rocked the Red Sea port of Aden in Yemen on Sunday, with local media saying a car bomb had been targeted at a convoy of officials travelling across the city.

Images from Aden uploaded to social media have captured what appears to be plumes of black smoke coming from the site of the attack.

A vehicle rigged with explosives targeted the convoy of Aden’s governor, Ahmed Lamlas, who survived the blast, sources told local media.

Unnamed officials who talked to the AFP news agency said four people had been killed in the explosion, and eyewitnesses told Reuters they’d seen at least two charred bodies at the site.

The key southern port of Aden became the seat of the internationally recognized Yemeni government after most of the country, including the capital Sanaa, fell into the hands of Houthi rebels in 2014.

Southern Yemen has recently been paralyzed by the struggle for power between the government of exiled president Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi and the Southern Transitional Council (STC).

The former allies of the Saudi Arabia-led coalition against the Houthis have fallen apart, with all attempts by Riyadh to end the standoff so far proving unsuccessful.

There were clashes and gunfire in Aden last Saturday, which saw armored vehicles deployed in the city and at least four fatalities were reported.

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