சுன்னிகளுக்கும் அலவாயிட் ஷியாக்களுக்கும் நடக்கும் லெபனான் சண்டையில் 18 பொதுமக்கள் பலி

சுன்னிகளுக்கும் அலவாயிட் ஷியாக்களுக்கும் நடக்கும் லெபனான் சண்டையில் 18 பொதுமக்கள் பலி
அவர்கள் சென்றுகொண்டிருந்த பஸ்ஸில் குண்டு வைத்து வெடித்ததில் இவர்கள் இறந்தனர்.

18 dead in Lebanon bomb blast
1 day ago

A bomb has exploded near a bus carrying civilians and members of the military in the northern city of Tripoli, killing 18 people and wounding 46 others.

Officials say the dead included 10 off-duty soldiers.

The officials said the bomb was planted on the side of a road and went off when the bus passed by, causing the casualties. They said the explosion happened as the streets were filled with people heading to work, which contributed to the many injuries.

George Kettaneh of the Lebanese Red Cross said that rescue services transported 14 bodies and 40 wounded from the scene of the explosion. The dead included off-duty soldiers, he said.

TV footage showed a small public bus riddled with shrapnel from the blast. Shattered glass could be seen in the Banks Street in Tripoli's centre.

Witnesses said fire engines and ambulances rushed to the scene, while soldiers and policemen cordoned off the area to keep onlookers away and to investigate.

There was no immediate word on who was behind the explosion.

Tripoli is Lebanon's second-largest city with a mostly Sunni Muslim population. It has witnessed sectarian clashes between Sunni fighters and followers of the Alawite sect, an offshoot Shiite sect, in the past weeks that killed and wounded dozens of people.

The city is also close to the Palestinian refugee camp of Nahr el-Bared, which experienced deadly clashes last year between Lebanese troops and members of the al Qaida -inspired Fatah Islam group that left hundreds dead before the militants were defeated.

Fatah Islam group has claimed responsibility for a bomb blast that killed a soldier in Abdeh near Tripoli on May 31.