A bomb planted on a bus traveling from Haifa to Jerusalem ripped through the vehicle leaving nine persons wounded Sunday, one of them seriously. The blast occurred at 10 a.m. as the bus made its way past Hadera on the coastal road. The wounded were taken to Hadera Hospital. It was the worst attack on an Israeli bus since six persons were wounded last February when a bomb exploded on a commuter bus in the Tel Aviv suburb of Bnei Brak.
The explosive charge was probably placed on the bus before it left the Haifa central bus depot for its two-hour trip to Jerusalem. The driver, who was himself hurt in the explosion, insisted, however, that he had checked the bus before beginning the trip. The bus had arrived in Haifa from Jerusalem where it began its day’s schedule.
Eyewitness reports said the charge seemed to have been placed under the driver’s seat. He himself was thrown from his seat by the blast but he managed to guide the vehicle to a relatively smooth standstill without crashing into the highway dividers. There were 52 passengers on the bus.
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