At least 25 people were killed in an overnight explosion at a dairy and oils factory in eastern Yemen, residents told the AFP Wednesday, marking fresh casualties in the seventh day of the bombing campaign against Shiit Houthi rebels in the war-torn Gulf nation.
Located near an army base with troops loyal to Yemen's former President and Houthi ally, Ali Abdullah Saleh, the factory was hit shortly after midnight Wednesday, but conflicting reports about both the source of bombing and the number of casualties are surfacing.
The factionized Yemeni army website 26September claims 37 factory workers were killed at 80 wounded and blames the incident on the 10-nation coalition bombings, while medical sources put the number of casualties at 25 and say while a coaliton airstrike hit the site shortly after midnight Wednesday, rockets from rebels also fired shortly after in likely retaliation.
In either case, the incident appears to be one of the worst cases of civilian casualty since Saudi Arabia's bombing campaign began a week ago.
One key goal of the Saudi campaign was to restore control to President Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi of an enclave in the Yemeni port city of Aden, where the embattled president was attempting to hold temporary operations before the Houthis attacked his palace there last month. A Reuters reporter said gunfire rang through the night Tuesday, while unverified videos depicted heavy fighting at an army base loyal to Saleh in northeastern corner of the city.
The coalition has targeted Houthi strongholds across the country, attacking the rebel group's weapons centers and bases, and deepening regional tensions with Iran, who has accused the campaign of being an illegal military operation. Meanwhile, the UN and Yemeni officials say civilians are fleeing by sea to Somalia, with port authorities in Somaliland reporting at least 32 Yemenis arriving in their terrirory this week.
