‘Multiple’ buses explode inside minutes of one another in ‘suspected terror assault’ in Israel metropolis centre
Israel has narrowly avoided mass carnage after three empty buses went up in flames, with officials warning the explosives’ timers were set wrong.
Footage shows smoke rising into the sky while fire leaps from the vehicles in a city centre around 9pm.
Israeli forces quickly labelled the horror a ‘suspected terror attack’.
Police are investigating the explosion adding ‘large forces are at the scenes, searching for suspects’.
A defence official has stated incendiary devices were accidentally set for 9pm instead of 9am.
Footage on social media shows plumes of black smoke billow from a parking lot with at least one bus entirely engulfed in an orange fire.
In one video, sirens can be heard blaring in the background as onlookers watch on at the blaze.
Aerial footage also indicates the extent of the destruction as the smoke reaches far up into the city’s skyline.
Photos display the aftermath of the fire’s destruction with one showing a bus that has been almost entirely reduced to a carcass with bits of black rubble hanging off its sides.
Police say there have not yet been any reports of casualties.
Multiple buses have burst up into flames near the Israeli capital prompting police to launch a probe into a ‘suspected terror attack’
Photos display the aftermath of the fire’s destruction with one showing a bus that has been almost entirely reduced to a carcass with bits of black rubble hanging off its sides
Three buses are said to have exploded prompting suspicions of a ‘coordinated attempted attack’
Authorities have urged the public to avoid the surrounding areas and remain alert for suspicious items
Authorities have urged the public to avoid the surrounding areas and remain alert for suspicious items.
Local media reports Israeli Transport Minister Miri Regev halted the stop of all buses, trains, and light rail trains in order to check for possible explosive devices.
Three buses are said to have exploded prompting suspicions of a ‘coordinated attempted attack’ with two more explosive devices reportedly being disabled elsewhere.
The Israeli Broadcasting Authority said: ‘An attempted bomb attack is being investigated. Forces are on-site, searching the area.’
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is being updated on the situation, his office has said in a statement.
Bat Yam is a city on Israel’s Mediterranean Sea coast, on the Central Coastal Plain just south of Tel Aviv.
This is a breaking news story. More to come.
