18 killed in car bomb attack in Yemen

At least 18 people were killed in a suicide car bombing in Yemen's western port city of al-Hodayda late Thursday, security sorces said.

An Al Qaeda off-shoot, Al Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), known locally as Ansar al-Sharia, claimed responsibility for the attack against a training institution run by the Shiite Houthi group, security sources told Xinhua.

The sources said that the explosions happened when the Houthis were gathering at the training institution near al-Hodayda airport in the port city, which was taken over by the Shiite group in September.

At least 18 Houthi fighters were killed, the sources said, adding that the death toll could rise substentially.

Up to 15 wounded were sent to hospital, most of them in critical condition, a medic said.