Yemen oil refinery in flames after rebel rocket attack

Yemeni rebels fired rockets at the oil refinery in port city Aden on Thursday, sparking a new blaze in the facility that has repeatedly come under attack, an industry official said.

Thick smoke formed over the refinery, which rebels hit with Katyusha rockets, witnesses and the industry official said, adding that residents in nearby areas were evacuated.

“Two Katyusha rockets, fired by the Huthis, hit the refinery in the morning, causing a fire that spread to a reservoir,” the official told AFP on condition of anonymity.

Rebels last attacked the refinery with rockets on Monday striking pipelines, also setting off a fire, according to Nasser Shayef, a spokesman of the facility.

He said the refinery has 1.2 million tonnes of crude in storage and also contains gas tanks.

The latest attack came as Shiite Huthi rebels retreated from some Aden neighbourhoods, after loyalist forces recaptured several parts of the southern city.