Yemen airport comes under attack as new unity government arrives
More than 20 people — but no arriving Cabinet officials — were reported killed.
Yemeni authorities said at least 22 people were killed and 50 wounded in an attack on Aden’s airport as members of the country’s newly formed unity government arrived from Saudi Arabia’s capital Wednesday.
An explosion struck the airport and gunfire broke out as people gathered on the nearby tarmac to witness the arrival of Yemen’s prime minister and newly appointed Cabinet members as they disembarked from a plane after being sworn in earlier this week in Riyadh.
Cabinet members were swept into vehicles and delivered to Aden’s Mashiq Palace. A subsequent explosion was later reported nearby, though no members of the government were reported to have been hurt, according to The Associated Press. An official told the news agency that the airport attack may have been caused by a drone or drones.
Martin Griffiths, the United Nations’ special envoy for Yemen, and the Arab League condemned the violence. No group has yet claimed credit for the attack.
