Sanaa, Jul 5 (IANS): Five members of Yemen's pro-government forces were killed when an explosion targeted their military base in the country's southern province of Abyan, an official said.

The official told Xinhua news agency that "an explosion struck the headquarters of the 5th Infantry Army Brigade that's located in Abyan's district of Mudiyah" on Sunday.

He said that the explosion killed five soldiers and injured more than 40 others at the scene.

The official clarified that "the explosion that might be caused by external bombardment struck the military base while the soldiers were gathering to perform their noon prayers".

Pro-government military experts began investigating the nature of the explosion and its main causes, according to the official.

No group has claimed responsibility for the explosion at the pro-government military base.

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

Since the war intensified in 2015, the country has become the largest humanitarian crisis in the world, with 24.1 million people, or 80 per cent of the population, in need of humanitarian assistance, including more than 11 million children.

More than 14 million people are in acute need and more than three million people have been displaced from their homes.

Due to the prolonged war, Yemen has lost $90 billion in economic output and more than 600,000 people have lost their jobs.

Fifty-eight per cent of the population is living in extreme poverty.