Death toll in Yemen bombing up to 71

The death toll in an Islamic State attack on an army recruiting center in Aden, Yemen, has risen to 71, making it the deadliest jihadist attack on the Yemeni city in over a year.

Security officials tell AFP the attacker drove the car bomb into a gathering of recruits at a school in the north of the port city.

The assault killed at least 71 people and wounded 98, medical sources tell AFP.

Yemenis inspect the site of a suicide car bombing claimed by the Islamic State group on August 29, 2016 at an army recruitment center in the Yemeni city of Aden. (AFP /SALEH AL-OBEIDI)

The recruits were among 5,000 newly enrolled soldiers being trained to fight the Houthi rebels in the north along the border with Saudi Arabia, military sources said.

Although the complex was locked as recruits registered inside, the attacker drove in when the gate was opened for a delivery vehicle, officials say.

Witnesses say some recruits were buried when a roof collapsed after the blast which left a gaping hole on the building’s facade.

Debris was scattered around the complex and nearby buildings were damaged.

— AFP