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Yemeni security forces and Shiite Huthi militiamen stand next to charred bodies following a bomb explosion at the Badr mosque in southern Sanaa on March 20, 2015. Triple suicide bombings killed at least 55 people at mosques in the Yemeni capital attended by Shiite Huthi militiamen who have seized control of the city. (AFP)
Multiple suicide bombings claimed by the Daesh (IS) group killed at least 142 people Friday at Shiite mosques in Yemen's capital one of the strife-torn country's deadliest ever jihadist attacks.
The killings were the first claimed by IS in Yemen and represent a strong show of force by the group in a country where rival Al Qaeda is the most prominent organisation, and which reacted by saying it would not attack mosques.
Charred bodies and pools of blood were seen at the site of the blasts, which targeted supporters of the Huthi Shiite militia that has seized control of the capital Sanaa.
Worshippers rushed the wounded to hospitals in pick-up trucks, while others removed mutilated bodies.
One suicide bomber struck inside Badr mosque in southern Sanaa while another targeted worshippers as they fled outside, witnesses said.
A third suicide bomber targeted Al-Hashush mosque in northern Sanaa, while a fourth struck outside the mosque, according to the Saba news agency, which is now controlled by the Huthis.
Nashwan al-Atab, a member of the health ministry's operations committee, told AFP 142 people were killed and at least 351 wounded.
Huthi TV said hospitals had made urgent appeals for blood donations.
The imam of the Badr mosque was among the dead, a medical source said.
Another suicide bomber blew himself up outside a mosque in the northern Huthi stronghold of Saada, a source close to the militia said.
'Tip of the iceberg'
Only the assailant was killed, and tight security at the mosque prevented the bomber from going inside, the source added.
In an online statement, the Sanaa branch of IS said the attacks were "just the tip of the iceberg".
Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula issued a statement saying it had nothing to do with the bombings.
"We stress that we abide by the instructions of Sheikh Ayman Zawahiri, to avoid targeting mosques and markets... to protect the lives of innocent Muslims," it said.
The United States condemned the mosque bombings but said it could not confirm the veracity of the IS claim of responsibility.
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