Scores Killed In Mosque Attacks In Yemen

By Scott Neuman

Published March 20, 2015 at 8:12 AM CDT

A wounded girl reacts as she is carried by a man out of a mosque that was attacked by a suicide bomber in Sanaa, Yemen, on Friday.

Updated at 5:50 p.m. ET

Suicide bombers in Yemen attacked two mosques during Friday prayers in the capital, Sanaa, killing at least 137 people and wounding hundreds more.

Authorities believe that three separate suicide bombers carried out the attack on the Badr and al-Hashoosh mosques, according to the local rebel-controlled Al-Masirah television. The BBC says that the two houses of worship "are used mainly by supporters of the Zaidi [Shiite]-led Houthi rebel movement, which controls Sanaa."

Witnesses quoted by The Associated Press say two bombers hit the Badr mosque — one walked in and detonated his vest, causing worshipers to rush toward the outside gates, where a second bomber blew up.

"The heads, legs and arms of the dead people were scattered on the floor of the mosque," Mohammed al-Ansi told the AP, adding, "blood is running like a river."

The self-declared Islamic State claimed responsibility for the attack on its Twitter account, according to Reuters. The news agency quoted local authorities as saying 137 people had been killed and hundreds wounded.

AP reports:

"Al-Ansi added that many of those who didn't die in the explosion were seriously injured by shattered glass falling from the mosque's windows. He recalled running for the door along with other survivors and hearing one man screaming, "come back, save the injured!"

"The Shiite TV network aired footage from inside al-Hashoosh mosque, where screaming volunteers were using bloodied blankets to carry away victims. One of the dead included a small child. Corpses were lined up on the mosque floor and carried away in pick-up trucks."