Attacks on British embassy, oil company in Yemen

Two separate attacks on foreign interests in the Yemen on Wednesday left one French national dead and several other people were wounded, officials said.

The first attack happened on a vehicle east of the capital carrying the five British Embassy staff. One person inside the vehicle was hurt along with at least two people outside the car, the British Foreign Office said.

The second attack took place at the Sanaa office of the Austrian oil and gas company OMV, when a security guard opened fire. A French national who worked for the company was shot and killed, OMV and the French Ministry of the Foreign Affairs said.

"This shameful attack on British diplomats will only redouble Britain's determination to work with the government of Yemen to help address the challenges that country faces," British Foreign Secretary William Hague said in a statement.

Eyewitnesses and security officials at the scene said they believed it was a rocket attack on the embassy vehicle, based on rocket fragments they saw at the scene.

The vehicle was on its way to the embassy when it was attacked, the British Foreign Office said.