Six killed by car bomb targeting Yemen’s Aden governor

The explosive-rigged car was parked at the road side in Hjeif district

Car bomb site that targetted an official convoy in Yemen's Aden on Sunday . Photo: Ali Al Mahmood

At least six people were killed and 11 others injured in a car bomb explosion that targeted an official convoy in the Yemeni southern port city of Aden on Sunday, a security source told AFP.

The injured were transferred to Basaheib hospital in nearby Tawahi district, he said.

The source said five members of the entourage were killed and 11 others, of whom three were civilians, were wounded in the attack. One person later succumbed to his injuries, bringing the death toll to six.

An explosive-rigged car was parked at the road side in Hjeif district and went off as the convoy of Aden’s governor, Ahmed Lamlas, passed by, security sources said.

Mr Lamlas is the council's secretary general, which controls Aden and southern Yemen, backed by the Saudi-led coalition.

The governor was accompanied by Agriculture Minister Salem Al Soqatri, who is also a member of STC. Both narrowly escaped the explosion unscathed, the state news agency reported.

The governor's press secretary, however, was among those killed by the explosion, the sources said.

Yemeni Prime Minister Maeen Saeed ordered an immediate investigation into the incident and additional security measures in the city, according to the state news agency.

President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi called the attack a "terrorist operation", Saba news agency reported.

It added that Mr Hadi ordered all security and military agencies to "take the necessary measures to ensure security and stability".

Witnesses reported three charred corpses were lifted from the explosion site. They said the blast caused significant damage and burnt several cars.

“We heard a huge blast that shattered glass and inflicted damages in the surrounding buildings,” a witness at the site said.

“We saw body parts and charred bodies in the street.”

Security sources said the governor and the minister were not in the armoured car at which the bomb was aimed.