ADEN, Yemen, Dec. 11 (Xinhua) -- A total of three Yemeni people were killed in a blast caused by a landmine in the country's northeastern province of al-Jawf on Saturday, a government official told Xinhua.
"A large landmine explosion struck a civilian vehicle carrying local citizens in the turbulent province of al-Jawf, killing three people at the scene," the local government source said on condition of anonymity.
He confirmed that the explosion destroyed the vehicle and critically injured five people who had been transferred to a nearby hospital for treatment.
The explosion was caused by a mine laid by the Houthi rebels engaging in sporadic fighting with the Yemeni government forces in the province, according to the official.
Reports of humanitarian organizations suggested that Yemen has become one of the largest landmine battlefields in the world since the World War II.
Yemen has been mired in a civil war since late 2014 when the Iran-backed Houthi militia seized control of several northern Yemeni provinces and forced the internationally-recognized government of President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi out of the capital Sanaa.
The Saudi-led coalition intervened in the Yemeni conflict in March 2015 to support Hadi's government. Enditem
