At least 17 persons have been confirmed dead and dozens more injured following an explosion at a gas station and adjacent gas storage tank in Yemen’s al-Bayda province on Saturday. The Houthi-run health ministry reported that 50 of the injured are in critical condition, with rescue teams still searching for missing people.
The blast happened at the Zaher district in central Yemen, which set a huge fire in the area. Emergency responders have arrived on the scene, but the full extent of the damage remains unclear as the search for the missing continues.
Videos circulating on social media showed towering columns of smoke rising from the site, with vehicles charred and burning amidst the wreckage. At least 67 people were injured, and health officials said that many were in critical condition.
The cause of the explosion is still under investigation, and no foul play appears to have taken place. Bayda province is a Houthi rebel-controlled area, and fighting has been ongoing between the organization and Yemen’s government, which is recognized internationally, since its formation over ten years ago.
This is another tragic note in the humanitarian crisis that continues to engulf Yemen, as it is increasingly destroyed by conflict, economic instability, and infrastructural destruction.
