ADEN, Dec. 18 (Xinhua) -- Three people were killed and eight others injured on Thursday in an explosion in Taiz city, about 256 km southwest of Yemen's capital Sanaa, medical and local sources said.

A medical source told Xinhua that three bodies, including a child's, were brought to Al-Thawra General Hospital, following an explosion in the city center.

Eight others, including two children, were rushed to the hospital, with several of them in critical condition, the source added.

A local official who requires anonymity said the explosion was caused by an improvised explosive device detonated in front of the Yemeni Congregation for Reform Party headquarters in central Taiz.

The official noted that the device was remotely detonated in front of the party headquarters, adding that the explosion caused civilian casualties, including schoolchildren.

A motorcycle rider carrying a package containing the explosive device approached the headquarters before it detonated, the official said, adding that security authorities are investigating him after he received first aid for his injuries sustained in the explosion.

The Yemeni Congregation for Reform, commonly known as the Al-Islah Party, is one of Yemen's main political parties with a long-standing presence in the country's political landscape.

Taiz city is under government control, while Houthi forces have been positioned on its western, northern, and eastern outskirts, as well as in rural areas of the province, for over a decade. ■