Explosion kills six at funeral in Yemen's Marib - agency

SANAA (Reuters) - An explosion killed six people and wounded 20 as they attended a funeral service in the Yemeni city of Marib, east of the capital Sanaa, the government-run news agency Saba said on Friday. The blast occurred as condolences were being paid after the death of Abdulrab al-Shadady, an army general in Marib who was killed a few days ago in fighting with Houthi militia, local officials told Reuters. Among those killed in Friday's blast was Salem al-Shadady, the older brother of the general killed earlier, Saba said. Yemen's war has intensified since U.N.-sponsored peace talks in Kuwait ended in August without an agreement. Fighting has been concentrated around the country's Houthi-controlled ancient capital, Sanaa, where little territory has changed hands. Most of Marib is under the control of forces loyal to President Abd Rabbu Mansour al-Hadi and the rest held by the Iran-allied Houthis, who are battling his internationally recognised government. On Oct. 8, an air strike widely blamed on Saudi warplanes ripped through a wake attended by some of Yemen's top political and security officials, killing 140 people. (Reporting by Mohammed Ghobari; Writing by Maha El Dahan; Editing by Mark Heinrich)