'Mother of all explosions' shakes Sanaa a day ahead of planned truce

Powerful explosions shook the Yemeni capital on Monday after warplanes from the Saudi-led coalition struck an arms depot thought to be in Houthi control.

The raid targeted the depot in the Mount Noqum area on the eastern outskirts of Sanaa, triggering several blasts, an AFP correspondent and witnesses said. 

Thick black smoke billowed from the site and debris was scattered in residential areas at the foot of the hill, witnesses said.

There were no immediate reports of casualties.

The attack came a day ahead of a hoped-for five-day humanitarian truce proposed by the Saudi-led coalition which launched strikes against rebels in late March in support of exiled President Abd Rabbuh Mansour Hadi.

Hisham Al-Omeisy, a Yemeni analyst based in Sanaa, described the attack as the "mother of all explosions" and posted video of the still-smouldering site, hours after it occurred.

Also Monday, a Pakistani and a Saudi were killed when the Saudi Arabian border region came under renewed bombardment from Yemen, official media reported.

The Pakistani's killing was a rare death of a foreigner during weeks of war the UN says have killed more than 1,400 people in Yemen.

Civil defence spokesman Ali al-Shahrani, quoted by the Saudi Press Agency (SPA), said "military missiles" hit a school and residential neighbourhood in Najran city, "resulting in the death of a Pakistani resident".

SPA said the latest barrage came from inside Yemen.

Shahrani said it also wounded a Saudi child and three civilians "of different nationalities".

Saudi news channel al-Ekhbariya showed footage of a building with its brickwork blown out, a shattered storefront and what appeared to be remains of a rocket.

A Pakistani official confirmed to AFP that one of his country's nationals had died.

"We are ascertaining from Saudi authorities the details about the victim's identity," said the official, asking for anonymity.