A total of 16 people were killed in a ballistic missile attack launched by the Houthi rebels against Yemen's oil-rich province of Marib on Saturday, a government official told Xinhua.

"The Houthi-fired missile landed on a fuel station in the country's northeastern province of Marib, causing huge explosions at the scene," the local government source said on condition of anonymity.

He said the explosions that occurred at the fuel station in al-Rawda neighborhood, killed at least 16 people, and injured several others.

"Many civilian vehicles at the fuel station were completely burnt as a result of the fire that broke out after the explosions," he added.

(Cover: Fighters loyal to Yemen's Saudi-backed government at the frontline facing Iran-backed Houthi rebels near Marib, Yemen, May 13, 2021. /AFP)