Blast at Yemen explosives factory kills 78

SANAA, Yemen — Yemen officials say 78 people were killed in a blast at an explosives factory after it was briefly taken over by militants and then looted by civilians.

Medical and security officials in the southern Abyan province where the blast took place Monday said many women and children from surrounding villages were killed and wounded in the attack.

On Sunday, Islamic fundamentalist militants took over the factory, which was near the town of Jaar and used to make explosives for road construction.

The militants took what they needed and then left. Locals then entered the facility to loot it, said officials.

Another 27 people were injured critically in addition to the dozens of others wounded.

Officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the press.

THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP's earlier story is below.

A local resident says multiple explosions have been heard from inside a weapons factory that has been overtaken by Islamic militants in a southern Yemen province.

The resident says the blasts can be heard as far as 10 miles (15 kilometers) from the factory in southern Abyan. It's unclear if the explosions are accidental or intentional.

The factory in Khanfar area close to Jaar city makes munition and Kalashnikov rifles.

Resident Seif Mohammed says several ambulances have been bringing the injured to al-Razi hospital in Jaar on Monday.

The factory was seized on Sunday by a Salafi Jihad militant group, one of many roaming mostly lawless Yemen. The group is not an al-Qaida offshoot.

Yemen has been rocked by weeks of political turmoil and deteriorating security.