(dpa) - Four soldiers were killed and three others injured Wednesday when a roadside bomb exploded next to a police vehicle in the historical city of Marib, north-east of the Yemeni capital Sana'a, witnesses said.
The witnesses told Deutsche Presse-Agentur dpa the bomb went off as the vehicle parked during a routine patrol mission.
They said the blast took place at around 8 am (0530 GMT) in the main street of the city.
"The explosion turned the car into a twisted pile of metal in the parking space," one witness said.
He said police officers cordoned off the area and forensic experts were seen searching it.
Police officials confirmed the reported attack, but said it was premature to blame any group.
Marib, some 190 kilometres from Sana'a, is seen as one of the strongholds of al-Qaeda in Yemen which has recently claimed responsibility for a series of attacks against US and Western targets in Sana'a.