Sanaa, Jun 6 (IANS): At least 16 people were killed in a ballistic missile attack launched by the Houthi rebels onYemen's oil-rich province of Marib, a government official said.

"The Houthi-fired missile landed on a fuel station in the country's northeastern province of Marib, causing huge explosions at the scene," the official told Xinhua news agency on Saturday.

He said the explosions that occurred at the fuel station in al-Rawda neighbourhood, north of the Marib's city, killed at least 16 people, and injured several others.

"Many civilian vehicles at the fuel station were completely burnt as a result of the fire that broke out after the explosions," he added.

The Iran-backed Houthi rebels in February began a major offensive against the Saudi-backed Yemeni government army to capture the province of Marib.

A recent UN-brokered negotiation between Yemen's warring sides and other relevant parties has failed to produce any agreement of ceasefire.

Yemen has been mired in a civil war since late 2014 when the Houthi rebels seized control of several northern provinces and forced the internationally recognized government of President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi out of the capital Sanaa.