No fewer than 47 lives have been lost following an explosion that struck during a demonstration against the government by Houthis in Yemen’s capital on Thursday, October 9, 2014.
The Ministry of Health in Yemen described the explosion as the latest violence during weeks of sectarian and political strife in the country.
CNN reports that the health ministry said the explosion occurred at Sanaa’s Tahrir Square, where Houthis a religious minority in Yemen were engaged in their latest protest against the government.
According to eye witnesses, the explosion allegedly emanated from a suicide bomber who had been close close to a bank in the scene of the tragedy, although this claims were yet to be confirmed by the Interior Ministry.
Houthis, followers of a sect of Shia Islam in a country where Sunni Muslims are the majority, have been protesting for weeks against the government, prompting the resignations of two prime ministers in two weeks.
Houthi medical sources said the victims of the explosion included eight children who took part in the protests.
Meanwhile, about eleven survivors were rushed to the hospital after sustaining severe injuries.
There has been no information as to the group that masterminded the attack although it was noted that the Sunni Muslim terrorist network known as the al Qaeda has been thretning to kill Houthis for some months after Houthi fighters defeated Sunni tribes in several Yemeni regions.
