At least five people were killed and around 30 injured in an explosion at a weapons depot in Lavdar on Tuesday, we have heard from a reliable source.
The explosion, the origin of which is still unknown, occurred in a depot in the basement of a residential building. At least five people were killed and around 30 injured, a security source told AFP on condition of anonymity.
This is still a preliminary assessment, he said.
According to a witness contacted by AFP, the two-storey building has completely collapsed and rescuers are trying to extricate the victims from the rubble.
The city of Lawdar hosts an arms market and one of the dealers is believed to be the owner of the depot, according to the same source.
In Yemen, gun ownership has long been considered an integral part of culture.
The country has been torn apart by a war between government forces backed by a Saudi-led coalition and pro-Iran Houthi rebels since 2014. However, a ceasefire has been in effect since April.
The conflict has claimed hundreds of thousands of lives and plunged the poorest country in the Arabian Peninsula into one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises.