The dead included soldiers and civilians and at least 12 others were wounded, a medical source said.

A security source said the attack appeared to target the convoy of a local businessman who was entering the presidential complex.

Sources had initially said the convoy was carrying Aden’s governor, Aidarus al-Zubaidi, but he later told AFP he was not in the area at the time of the attack.

Witnesses said the blast had damaged at least six vehicles and a nearby mosque.

Zubaidi survived a car bombing earlier this month, after being appointed in December following the killing of his predecessor, Jaafar Saad, in an Aden bombing claimed by the ISIS (Daesh) terrorist group.

The city has also seen a growing terrorist presence, with Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, long active in Yemen, and ISIS apparently vying for influence, AFP reported.

S/SH