Three civilians were killed in a landmine explosion in Abyan, a province in south Yemen where the army drove out Al-Qaida militants in the past few days, the interior ministry reported.
The landmine exploded while the victims were passing on the highroad during a tour to inspect their house in Zinjibar, the capital, after the battles between the army and the militants since mid-2011, it said.
After defeating Al-Qaida militants and driving them from the key towns sized last year, the authorities started removing landmines planted by the militants.
Today's casualties were the first amid warnings by the authorities the people should not rush back to their homes for now.
In the meantime, the defense ministry said technical teams are continuing removing thousands of landmines, which were planted by the militants at roads, entrances of towns, farms and where they were stationed.
"The technical teams have been urged to work around the clock to prevent similar incidents amid preparations by the authorities to help many families to return to their homes in Abyan," the ministry said.
In recent years, many civilians including children have been killed in landmine explosions in south and north Yemen.