Adeb, Oct 11 (IANS): A massive explosion struck a convoy of high-ranking Yemeni government officials in the country's southern port city of Aden, a security official has confirmed.

"A booby-trapped vehicle exploded in Aden's district of Tawahi on Sunday, targeting a travelling convoy carrying a number of government officials," the official told Xinhua news agency.

The motorcade was of Aden Governor Ahmed Lamlas and other officials of the Saudi-backed Yemeni government.

According to the local official, Lamlas and the minister of the agriculture survived the bombing attack.

Witnesses said that columns of black smoke were seen rising from the bombing site.

An official of Aden's local authority confirmed to Xinhua that five soldiers in charge of guarding the Governor were killed and a number of others wounded.

No group has claimed responsibility for the car bomb attack yet.

However, Yemeni government officials have blamed terror groups such as Al Qaeda for explosions in the past few months.

Local authorities are trying to maintain security and stability in the strategic Yemeni port city considered as the country's temporary capital.

However, sporadic bombing incidents and drive-by shooting attacks still occur in Aden, where the Saudi-backed Yemeni government has been based since 2015.

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