Explosion goes off at Jordan's Gulf of Aqaba

An explosion was heard in Jordan's port of Aqaba Thursday near a facility used by U.S. military vessels, an official and Arab satellite TV stations said but the cause of the blast was unclear.

At least one blast was heard at about 9 a.m. local time (0600GMT) near Aqaba, a Red Sea port 350 kilometers (210 miles) south of the Jordanian capital Amman, according to an official at the Aqaba Port Authority who spoke on condition of anonymity as he was not authorized to speak to the media.

Qatar-based al-Jazeera TV said the explosion occurred near Port 7, while Dubai-based Al-Arabiya TV said a U.S. naval ship was in the vicinity of the blast. It was unclear what the source of the blast was or if there were any damages.

Jordanian Interior Minister Awni Yirfas told Al-Arabiya that there was an explosion but that its cause was unclear.

Interior Ministry or U.S. officials were not immediately available for comment, the AP reported.