SANAA, Yemen (MCT) – A car bomb targeting Yemen’s defense minister exploded Tuesday outside the office of the prime minister in central Sanaa, missing its target but killing at least seven soldiers and five civilians.

The wreckage of at least four vehicles littered the scene, which blew out a nearby storefront. Paramedics and police officers rushed to gather the remains of those killed in the attack as dazed bystanders attempted to make sense of the bombing, which occurred in what is one of the most secured areas of the Yemeni capital.

Witnesses said the attack occurred as the defense minister’s convoy left a Cabinet meeting. While the explosion missed the armored vehicle carrying Maj. Gen. Mohamed Nasser Ahmed, ministry sources said another vehicle in the convoy was destroyed in the blast.