ADEN, Yemen, Nov. 25 (Xinhua) -- Three Yemeni children were injured by a blast of an explosive device in the country's Red Sea port city of Hodeidah on Wednesday, a military official told Xinhua.
"An improvised explosive device (IED) previously laid by the Houthi rebels exploded in Al Khawkhah district of Hodeidah, leaving three children critically injured," the local military source said on condition of anonymity.
The blast struck the children while they were heading to their agricultural farm in the area, the source said.
"Shrapnels hit different parts of the children's bodies. They were immediately transferred to a nearby medical center for treatment," the source added.
According to local Yemeni officials, the alleged Houthi-laid landmines and IEDs continue to pose a threat despite the ongoing efforts in the mine-clearing projects in Yemen.
Previous reports by humanitarian organizations said Yemen has become one of the largest landmine battlefields in the world since World War II.
The Iran-allied Houthi rebels seized the northern provinces including the capital Sanaa in late 2014, forcing Yemen's President Abdu-Rabbu Mansour Hadi and his government into exile.
An Arab coalition led by Saudi Arabia intervened militarily in the Yemeni conflict to fight against the Houthis in March 2015, in response to an official request from Hadi. Enditem
