A bomb blast that struck Shiite-Muslim Houthis gathering for a protest in the country's capital killed at least 32 people, according to a report by a broadcaster affiliated with the rebel group that controls most of the city. Al-Masirah showed footage of a blood-stained street and Yemen police cordoning off the area in central Sana'a. The blast struck at the Houthis gathering in Tahrir Square ahead of a protest against what they say is foreign interference in Yemen's internal political affairs. "It was a huge explosion," said Mohamed Salim, who witnessed the blast. "I saw many dead bodies." Yemen has been roiled by political instability after Houthi rebels advanced from the north, seized key buildings in the capital, Sana'a, and forced authorities last month to change the cabinet. The Houthis rejected this week President Abdurabu Mansur Hadi's nominee for prime minister, saying he was imposed by foreign powers and wasn't named with consensus. Deteriorating security across a country bigger than Spain has raised the prospect of the state's collapse along tribal and sectarian lines. Saudi Arabia's Foreign Minister Prince Saud al-Faisal warned last month that Yemen's "circle of violence" could threaten regional and international security. Armed Houthi rebels have deployed around the area of the blast and are preventing anyone from approaching the square. They are also searching people in the area.
