Jerusalem bus explosion: At least 10 injured in blast police claim

A bus explosion in Jerusalem injured between 10 and 20 people, the Magen David Adom rescue service told AP.

Police initially claimed the explosion was caused by a suspected terrorist attack, but later retracted the claim and said a fire may have caused a vehicle to explode. It is not yet known how seriously those caught in the blast were hurt.

Pictures from the scene showed smoke billowing from the burnt-out wreckage of two buses alongside one another. Reuters quoted Israeli police saying an empty bus may have caught fire, igniting another passing bus carrying passengers.

The incident occurred in the Derech Hebron area in south-west Jerusalem close to the boundary with the Israeli-occupied West Bank.

In recent months there has been a series of Palestinian knife attacks against Israeli security forces and civilians, prompting fears of a return of the suicide attacks on public transport in Israeli cities a decade ago.