Fire engulfs Yemenia airlines headquarters in San'a

An electrical short circuit Monday caused a major fire that engulfed the Yemenia airlines headquarters in the capital San'a, the Interior Ministry said in a statement.

The statement, carried by the official Yemeni news agency, said the fire began on one of the upper floors of the 13–story building at 4 p.m. (1300 GMT).

The statement, issued more than two hours after the fire began, said firefighters and rescue workers were trying to extinguish the fire and save the injured. The statement did not mention the number of injured or whether any people had died.

Most workers would have left the building at 3 p.m., the end of the work day, police officials said.

The building is located on a major downtown street.

Yemenia is 51 percent owned by the Yemen government and 49 percent owned by the Saudi Arabian government, according to the airlines' website.