A powerful blast near a mosque in Yemen killed at least eight people and injured many more, the local police confirmed. The explosion occurred at the Bin Salmanin mosque in the city of Saada, site of a Shiite rebellion.

Saada is about 124 miles north of Yemen's capital, San'a.

The terrorists set off the explosives and detonated them right when Muslim worshipers were leaving the mosque in the northern city of Saada. The cause of the bomb attack is unknown.

The number of wounded isn’t certain yet, but the local governor said 35 had been hurt in the powerful blast. According to a medic of the town’s hospital, about 100 people are being treated of wounds related to the explosion, Reuters news agency reported.

The explosives were detonated from a car bomb, but other sources said the rebels used a minibus parked outside the mosque or a booby-trapped motorcycle to carry out the attack.

The fighting between government troops and forces loyal to Abdulmalik al-Houthi broke out in 2004 causing the death of hundreds of people since then. The rebel militants are reportedly fighting to overthrow the Yemen government and impose the Shia religious law.

According to some eyewitnesses, the target of the attack was the mosque's imam (prayer leader). The imam who is also an army officer loyal to the rigorous Salafi school of Sunni Islam wasn’t hurt.