Yemeni security forces shoot dead 7 in Sanaa: Medics

Yemeni security forces shot dead at least seven people on Saturday while trying to stop tens of thousands of anti-government demonstrators from marching towards state offices, medics and witnesses said.

They said dozens of people were also wounded and evacuated by ambulances to a field hospital in Sixty Street in the capital Sanaa, where thousands of opponents of President Ali Abdullah Saleh have camped out for months demanding that he steps down.

In a separate incident, witnesses said government forces fought heavy battles with gunmen loyal to powerful tribal leader Sadeq al-Ahmar, who supports opposition demands for an end to Saleh's 33-year grip on power.

They said the fighting was concentrated in the Al Hasba neighbourhood of Sanaa and near the airport, which was closed by the fighting. All flights were stopped.

There were no immediate reports of casualties in the clashes.