At least 17 killed in Yemen gas station explosion

At least 17 people were killed and dozens injured in an explosion of a gas station and a gas storage tank in Yemen's al-Bayda province, the Houthi-run health ministry said on Sunday.

Of the injured, 50 people are in critical condition, the ministry added.

Earlier, two officials told AFP that twelve people were killed and over 100 injured in an explosion at a natural gas refilling facility in the Al-Bayda province.

"Twelve people from Al-Bayda died and there are more than 100 injured" in an explosion on Saturday at the storage facility of a refilling station in the Al-Zaher area, the province's communications chief Aref al-Ghamri said.

Another local official said "the gas refilling station exploded while customers were present", adding that the facility's location near a market contributed to the large number of deaths.

Social media users circulated videos, the authenticity of which AFP was unable to verify, showing flames engulfing dozens of cars in the vicinity of the station.

This is not the first time that Yemen has witnessed such an incident.

The cause of the explosion -- which occurred in an area considered a front line between the Houthis and government forces and which experiences occasional clashes -- is not yet known.

Late Saturday, the Interior Ministry's media platform said the explosions occurred in the Nassefa area of Al-Zahir district.

Houthi spokesperson Hashem Sharafuddin said security forces are actively investigating the incident, though no further details were provided.

The presence of numerous gas stations in residential areas across Yemen has led to repeated accidents.

Yemen remains deeply affected by a prolonged civil war that has devastated its infrastructure and left millions suffering from a humanitarian crises.