A blast at an ammunition factory in southern Yemen has killed at least 50 people and wounded many, doctors say.
The explosion shook the southern Yemeni town of Jaar and could be heard up to 10 miles (15km) away.
Reports said the plant had recently been seized by militants who, on Sunday, clashed with government forces in the town.
Officials said they expected the death toll to rise as bodies were still being recovered from the scene of the blast.
Deteriorating security
The factory, in the Khanfar area, close to Jaar city, makes munitions and Kalashnikov rifles, AP reports. Ambulances have been bringing the injured to Jaar’s al-Razi hospital.
There were reports on Sunday that Islamist militants had taken control of the city and the surrounding villages, in the southern Abyan province.
Yemen has been rocked by weeks of political turmoil and deteriorating security.
Unemployment in the country runs at around 40%, and there are rising food prices and acute levels of malnutrition.
The country has also been plagued by a range of security issues, including a separatist movement in the south and an uprising of Shia Houthi rebels in the north.
There are fears that Yemen is becoming a leading al-Qaeda haven, with the high numbers of unemployed youths seen as potential recruits for Islamist militant groups.
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