The Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) is claiming responsibility for two bombings that killed at least 28 people at a mosque in Yemen's capital city on Wednesday.

A suicide bomber blew himself inside the mosque in Sanaa during the evening call to prayers and then a car bomb exploded outside the entrance, officials said.

Medical officials said the death toll may rise with people now in operating rooms in several hospitals. Witnesses said the car bomb exploded while people were carrying out the wounded from inside the mosque, adding to the casualties.

One witness, Hamid Ali, said the explosions left body parts and bloodied floors in the mosque frequented by both Sunni and Shia Muslims.  

In a message circulated on social media, Yemen's local ISIS affiliate said it was behind the bombing, identifying the suicide attacker as Quay al-Sanaani. The statement said the assault was revenge against the
Shia rebels known as Houthis who hold Sanaa amid Yemen's raging civil war. The Associated Press could not independently verify the message, though it resembled other claims of responsibility by the group and was shared by extremist sympathizers.

The ISIS affiliate in Yemen has carried out similar attacks targeting mosques, including a series of suicide bombings on March 20 in Sanaa that killed 137 people and wounded 345.

AP