Aden, March 4

Gunmen attacked a care home run by missionaries in Yemen’s jihadist-plagued southern city of Aden today, killing 16 workers, including four foreign nuns, officials said.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility but Aden has seen a surge in attacks by the Islamic State group and rival al Qaeda.

Four gunmen entered the refuge operated by Mother Teresa’s Missionaries of Charity in Aden’s Sheikh Othman district, killing a guard before tying up and shooting employees, security officials told AFP.

Screams of elderly residents echoed from the home during the shooting rampage, witnesses said. They recounted seeing the bodies of slain workers with their arms tied behind their backs scattered on the blood-stained floor as the aged residents cried out in fear.

Apart from the four foreign nuns whose nationalities were the subject of conflicting reports the rest of those killed were Yemenis working at the facility, officials said.

The official sabanews.net website cited another security source as saying that the victims were nurses, guards, cooks, and other employees.

They include Yemenis, Indians and Ethiopians, the source said, adding that seven women were among those killed.

The source said the assailants opened fire separately at every victim they tied up in different parts of the building.