Explosion occurs near Aden’s airport in Yemen: source

ADEN — A large explosion occurred near the international airport in Yemen’s southern port city of Aden on Saturday evening, a security official told Xinhua.

“A truck loaded with fuel exploded near the main entrance leading to Aden’s International Airport, causing a huge blast in the area,” the local security official told Xinhua.

The local Yemeni official denied “the untrue reports claiming that the explosion was caused by a car bomb attack against the airport.”

He clarified that “an electrical fault led to the explosion of parked truck loaded with a large quantity of diesel near the airport.”

He pointed out that the truck’s blast resulted in injuring at least 10 people at the scene and delaying the arrival of some flights.

Local authorities are trying to maintain security and stability in the strategic Yemeni port city, which is considered as the country’s temporary capital. However, sporadic bombing incidents and drive-by shooting attacks still occur in Aden.

Yemen has been mired in a civil war since late 2014, when the Houthi rebels seized control of several northern provinces and forced the internationally-recognized government of Hadi out of the capital Sanaa.