ABU DHABI- Three people were killed and six others injured when an unmanned aircraft exploded at petrol tanks near the Abu Dhabi oil depot, state media reported on Monday. The blast “caused the death of a Pakistani national and two Indians, while six others sustained minor to minor injuries,” according to the state news agency WAM.
Abu Dhabi police have identified the dead as two Indians and one Pakistani. It did not identify the injured, police said with minor or moderate injuries.
Although Abu Dhabi police did not immediately identify the suspects, Yemeni Houthi rebels said they were responsible for the attack on the United Arab Emirates, without elaborating. The Iranian-backed Houthi claimed to have repeatedly attacked Emirati officials who denied the allegations.
Police said another explosion hit three gas tanks near the Abu Dhabi National Oil Co. in the Musaffah area.
The area, 22 kilometers (13 miles) from the city center of Abu Dhabi, also has a network of 36 pipelines and storage tanks, from which petrol trucks are transported across the country.
Yemeni rebels in Houthi say they are guilty of a fatal attack
On Monday, Houthi military spokeswoman Yahia Sarei said the group had launched an offensive in the UAE. He did not elaborate on the details, saying the statement would be released soon.
The site of the ADNOC depot where tanks burned about 1,800kms (1,100 miles) northeast of Saada, a Houthis stronghold in Yemen. Meanwhile, the UAE Department of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation has condemned the alleged drone attack and vowed to punish the perpetrators.