Sanaa, Sep 14 (IANS): A total of 15 people were injured in a landmine blast in Yemen's Red Sea port city of Hodeidah, a government official said.

"An explosion of a landmine previously laid by the Houthi militia struck a vehicle with 15 people on board including women and children in Hodeidah on Monday," the official told Xinhua news agency.

The explosion that occurred in Al Khawkhah district resulted in injuring 15 people and partially destroying their vehicle, he said.

Following the explosion, local residents and pro-government soldiers rushed to the site and transferred the injured to a nearby hospital for treatment.

Previous reports by humanitarian organisations said Yemen has become one of the largest landmine battlefields in the world since World War II.

The Iran-allied Houthi rebels seized the northern Yemeni provinces including the capital Sanaa in late 2014, forcing President Abdu-Rabbu Mansour Hadi and his government into exile.

A coalition formed by Saudi Arabia and several other Arab countries intervened militarily in the conflict to fight against the Houthis in March 2015, in response to an official request from Hadi to protect Yemen.