People run following an explosion at the airport in Aden, Yemen, shortly after a plane carrying the newly formed Cabinet landed on Dec 30, 2020. (PHOTO / AP)

ADEN - At least 20 people were killed and dozens more wounded in an attack on Aden airport on Wednesday, shortly after a plane carrying a newly formed cabinet for government-held parts of Yemen arrived from Saudi Arabia.

Loud blasts and gunfire were heard at the airport shortly after the plane arrived from Riyadh, witnesses said. 

The cowardly terrorist act that targeted Aden airport is part of the war that is being waged against the Yemeni state and its great people.

Maeen Abdulmalik, Yemeni prime minister 

The cabinet members including Prime Minister Maeen Abdulmalik, as well as Saudi Ambassador to Yemen Mohammed Said al-Jaber, were transferred safely to the city’s presidential palace, the witnesses and Saudi media said.

“We and the members of the government are in the temporary capital of Aden and everyone is fine,” Maeen tweeted from Maasheq palace. “The cowardly terrorist act that targeted Aden airport is part of the war that is being waged against the Yemeni state and its great people.”

READ MORE: Yemen separatists say ready for talks in Saudi Arabia over Aden crisis

Jaber tweeted: “Peace, security and stability will prevail thanks to Yemenis’ strong will and their brave government.”

A local security source said three mortar shells had landed on the airport’s hall.

Aden health official Mohamed Robeid gave the death figure and said 50 people were wounded, adding the death toll could rise. Medecins Sans Frontieres aid group earlier said 17 people had been treated for wounds at its hospital in Aden.

There was no claim of responsibility.

The newly formed cabinet unites the government of President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi with southern separatists. The two groups are the main Yemeni factions in a southern-based, Saudi-backed alliance, fighting against the Iran-aligned Houthi movement that controls the north, including the capital Sanaa.

The two groups are the main Yemeni factions in a southern-based, Saudi-backed alliance fighting against the Iran-aligned Houthi movement that controls the north, including the capital Sanaa.

Live TV footage from Saudi-owned Al Arabiya channel showed dozens of people leaving the airplane when a first blast hit the airport’s hall. Heavy gunfire from armoured vehicles followed with plumes of white and black smoke rising from the scene.

Map of Yemen locating Aden where explosions rocked the airport on Dec 30, 2020 shortly after the arrival of a plane carrying the new unity government.

ALSO READ: Yemen official: No talks before separatists leave Aden

The newly formed cabinet unites the government of President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi with southern separatists

Other video showed damage to the terminal’s concrete walls and smashed glass.

The southern port city of Aden has been mired in violence because of a rift between the separatists and Hadi’s government, based there after being driven from the capital by the Houthis in 2014.

The separatist Southern Transitional Council (STC), which seeks independence for south Yemen, declared self rule in Aden earlier this year, triggering clashes and complicating UN efforts to forge a permanent ceasefire in the overall conflict.

The Saudi-led coalition announced earlier this month the new power-sharing cabinet that would include the separatists.

UN Yemen envoy Martin Griffiths condemned the attack in a statement: “I wish the cabinet strength in facing the difficult tasks ahead. This unacceptable act of violence is a tragic reminder of the importance of bringing Yemen urgently back on the path towards peace.”

With Bloomberg inputs