At least five people were killed and around 30 injured on Tuesday in the explosion of an arms depot in Lawdar, one of the main towns of the governorate of Abyan, in the south of Yemen, we learned. from a secure source.

The explosion, whose origin is still unknown, occurred in a depot located in the basement of a residential building. It caused the death of at least five people and around thirty were injured, a security source told AFP on condition of anonymity.

This is still a provisional assessment, he said.

According to a witness contacted by AFP, the two-story building has completely collapsed and rescuers are currently trying to extricate the victims from the rubble.

The town of Lawdar is home to a gun market and one of the traders is believed to be the owner of the depot, according to the same source.

In Yemen, gun ownership has long been considered an essential part of the culture.

The country has been torn since 2014 by a war between government forces, backed by a coalition led by Saudi Arabia, and Houthi rebels, close to Iran. A truce has been in effect since April, however.

The conflict has claimed hundreds of thousands of lives and plunged the poorest country on the Arabian Peninsula into one of the worst humanitarian crises in the world.