Bombers kill 52 in Yemen Ministry of Defence attack

Fifty-two people have died after a suicide bomber and gunmen attacked Yemen’s defence ministry complex , leaving over 160 injured.

Seven foreign doctors and nurses are among the dead, following Thursday’s attack, according to Yemen’s Higher Security Committee.

The gunmen and suicide bomber were disguised in military uniform.

Witnesses told Reuters that one attacker drove a car filled with explosives into the gate of the ministry’s compound, then gunmen in another vehicle sped in and opened fire on soldiers and doctors and nurses working at the hospital, in the capital Sanaa.

“The explosion was very violent, the whole place shook because of it,” an employee who works in the area told Reuters.

Officials said the attack badly damaged a hospital inside the complex, started a fire and blew out the windows and doors of nearby homes,  according to CBS News.

No one has yet claimed responsibility for the attacks, however, an expert on Islamist militant affairs said it bore the hallmarks of al-Qaeda. 

The Ministry of Defence said the situation is under control and most of the gunmen had been killed. 

The Yemeni Health Ministry appealed for blood donations to help the wounded.

Saudi Arabia – the world’s biggest oil exporter, borders Yemen, making this attack an international concern.

                                    Vanessa Smart