[28 December 2007]

SAADA, Dec. 28 (Saba)- A security source said Thursday that six persons were killed and 16 others wounded due to the explosion of a shell at a qat market in Saada province.

The security commander of Saada Mohammed al-Gahm said that the explosion was caused by a shell mishandled by a Yemeni in the market.

Al-Gahm attributed the high number of victims to the explosion coincided with the congestion in the qat market, pointing that the investigations are still underway to determine the circumstances of the incident.

A UN-sponsored small arms survey, released last August, concluded that Yemenis own between six and 17 million firearms.

Authorities have in recent years tried to crack down on people carrying arms, but their efforts have met with little success.

YA/YA

Saba