Horror fuel station blast leaves at least 15 people dead in Yemen

A horror explosion at a fuel station has left at least 15 people dead and almost 70 more injured.

At least 15 people have been killed and over 67 seriously injured after an explosion at a fuel station in Yemen.

The deadly blast took place on Saturday in the war-torn district of Zaher in the province of Bayda, the country’s health ministry said.

The explosion triggered a massive fire, leaving at least 15 dead and 67 injured, including 40 who are said to be critical.

Dedicated rescue teams searched for those reported missing.

Footage of the blast showed the blaze sending plumes of black smoke into the sky, with some nearby vehicles left charred and burning.

The deadly blast left at least 15 dead and 67 more injured. Picture: Supplied

The fuel station’s proximity to a local market also contributed to the large number of deaths.

The province of Bayda is controlled by Iranian-backed Houthi rebels, who have been at war with Yemen’s internationally recognised government for more than a decade.

“We extend our sincere condolences and sympathy to the families and relatives of the victims of the painful accident that occurred as a result of the explosion of gas stations in the village of Al-Majrish,” the ministry said in a statement.

Yemen’s civil war began in 2014, when the rebels took control of the capital Sanaa and much of the country’s north, forcing the government to flee to the south, then to Saudi Arabia.

A Saudi-led coalition entered the war in March 2015, in an effort to restore the internationally recognised government.

Saturday’s explosion came a day after Israeli warplanes bombed a power station and two ports in Yemen in retaliation for Houthi drone and missile strikes against Israel.

The Houthis have been regularly striking at ships in the Red Sea since the start of the war on their allies Hamas in Gaza.

At the time of the strike against Israel, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the Iran-backed Huthis would pay a “heavy price” for the attack, which started a fire and caused some damage near Tel Aviv, Israel’s commercial hub.

Palestinian group Hamas praised the missile launch, vowing that Israel “will not enjoy security unless it ceases its brutal aggression against our people in the Gaza Strip”.

Israeli medics said several people were slightly injured while “on their way to shelters” as sirens sounded.

Glass was broken at a train station in Modiin, about 20 kilometres southeast of Tel Aviv, and police said a fragment of an air-defence interceptor had come down.

The Huthis, who said their strike targeted an Israeli “military position”, are among several Iran-backed groups to have been drawn into the Gaza war.

“They should have known by now that we charge a heavy price for any attempt to harm us,” Netanyahu said, according to a statement from his office.

The caused of the blast is not yet known. Picture: Supplied

In July, a Huthi drone strike penetrated Israel’s intricate air defences and killed a civilian in Tel Aviv, at least 1,800 kilometres from Yemen.

It prompted retaliatory strikes that caused significant damage and deaths at the rebel-controlled Hodeida port.

Rebel leader Abdul Malik al-Huthi said the attack was carried out with a “ballistic missile” that “penetrated” Israel’s defences.

Since November 2023, the Huthis have targeted Israel and its perceived interests in stated solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza, launching dozens of missile and drone strikes that have disrupted global shipping through vital waterways off Yemen.

In a televised speech on the occasion of the birthday of Islam’s Prophet Mohammed, the Huthis’ leader said the rebels and their regional allies were “preparing to do even more.”

“Our operations will continue as long as the aggression and siege on Gaza will continue,” he said.

-With AFP

Originally published as Horror fuel station blast leaves at least 15 people dead in Yemen