Over 70 die in blast at Yemen weapons factory

The death toll in Monday's terrorist attack on a weapons factory in Yemen has reached 70 people, RIA Novosti cites France Press as saying. Earlier reports said there were 40 dead and 90 injured in the blast.

The blast happened in the Abyan Province.

The assailants also attacked the Khanfar Mountain and Al-Khusn town. Local inhabitants say that the attackers organized block-posts.

The terrorist branch of Al-Qaeda in Yemen is one of the most active terrorist groups in the world. They took the responsibility for the crash of an plane in UAE in November 2010. They are also responsible for bombs in mail boxes in London and Dubai.

Fighting the terrorist organization is complicated and combined with mass protests demanding President Ali Abdullah Saleh resign. The protests started in early February. Yemen’s south was an independent state until 1990.

Saleh introduced curfews on March 18 for 30 days. The decision was approved by parliament on Wednesday. A state of emergency was announced when protesters were attacked by the state forces in Sana. Over 40 people died and some 300 were injured. The president expressed regret over the incident. However, he denied that the law-enforcers caused the injuries.