Cairo: The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has said that three of its employees in Yemen were killed in an explosion that hit Aden airport on Wednesday.
At least 22 people were killed and dozens injured in the blast that occurred as a plane carrying members of the newly formed government landed at the airport from Saudi Arabia.
“Our staff were transiting through the airport with other civilians when the explosion occurred. Three were injured, including one seriously,” the ICRC said.
One of the three deaths was a Yemeni citizen who helped coordinate ICRC’s air transport activities, which included overseeing the transport home of more than 1,000 former detainees in October.
The second was a Rwandan national who helped those in need as an x-ray technician of the Red Cross medical team.
Heavy blow
The third was a Yemeni health officer in an ICRC-supported hospital, who had been pursuing his Ph.D. in the field of medicine, the organisation said in a statement.
“The deaths and injuries caused by the blast are a heavy blow for many families,” said Katharina Ritz, the ICRC head of delegation in Yemen.
“Yemen has endured many difficult days; we hope for a brighter one tomorrow,” Ritz added.
The Yemeni government has accused the Iran-aligned Al Houthi militia of standing behind the attack.
Al Houthis plunged Yemen into a devastating conflict in late 2014 when they toppled the internationally recognised government and seized the capital Sana’a.
