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Jerusalem bus blast: 20 injured as explosion goes off in major city

Initial reports indicated there were 20 casualties.

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At least 15 people reportedly have been injured in a possible bus attack in Jerusalem.

Photos and videos on social media show thick smoke billowing from a commuter bus, with glass littering the road.

Police initially reported it was a terror attack but have since backtracked, saying all possibilities are under investigation.

The injured were taken by ambulance to Hadassah Ein Kerem and Shaarei Zedek hospitals.

A police statement said: “A bus travelling from southern Jerusalem reached Moshe Baram street”.

An emergency responder told Haaretz he arrived to help victims and found two buses “going up in flames”.

Witnesses are reporting that the bus was empty when the explosion occured and has now “completely burned down”.

Jerusalem district police say the bus could have been blown up by an explosive device or targeted by a suicide bomber who detonated the device inside the bus, according to news outlet Arutz Sheva.

The capital and other areas of Israel saw dozens of bus bombings, many claimed by Hamas, during the Second Intifada from 2000 to 2004, though the attacks subsided in later years, which Israeli officials attributed to increased security measures, including the West Bank barrier.

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At least 189 Palestinians have been killed in that period.

Ten Injured In Jerusalem Bus Explosion