In the mid 1980s , the Soviets built an ammunitions factory in Khanfar , for the manufacture of light weapons and Kalashnikov rifles . After the fall of the Soviet Union it continued to operate as a centre of weapons production , On March 28 , 2011 , an explosion occurred , killing some 150 people and injuring many more , a day after around 30 armed al-Qaeda militants raided the " 7th of October " ammunition plant , stealing cases of ammunition and leaving gunpowder exposed at the site ; militants took over another nearby munitions factory in Khanfar . According to Al Jazeera , the initial fire was reportedly triggered by a local resident dropping a lit cigarette while inside the looted factory , as some were checking the site for weapons , which soon led to an explosion . It was loud enough to be heard roughly from the factory , and left many charred bodies at the scene . Compiling the death toll was made more difficult as many bodies were found completely burnt through . Some of the injured people were taken to Jaʿār for treatment , while others received treatment at a hospital in Aden
an explosion
Jaʿār munitions factory explosion
Khanfar, Abyan