About 200 passengers narrowly escaped injury tonight when the locomotive of a train from Haifa struck a bomb on the Yarkon River bridge just north of Tel Aviv. The train sustained minor damage and, although the tracks were damaged, it was able to reach the Tel Aviv railroad terminal.
The incident was the second terrorist attack on the Haifa-Tel Aviv railway line this week and the second terrorist bombrag in Tel Aviv today. One man was killed this morning when a bomb exploded in an office building near the central bus terminal here. He was not immediately identified.
Police said the terrorists planted their bomb on the 40-meter long railroad bridge about 30 feet from its supporting struts, at a point 12 meters above the water. It detonated on impact with the forward wheels of the locomotive. Railroad employes maintain a constant check of the line. The bridge had been inspected earlier this afternoon and nothing was found. Police believe the bomb was planted after dark, shortly before the train approached. Last Sunday, a Haifa-to-Tel Aviv train was halted by a bomb explosion on the tracks near Netanya. There were no injuries. The passengers continued their journey by bus.
Today’s bombing near the bus terminal found police, fire fighters and first aid teams close by. They had been rushed to a courthouse near the bus station in response to a bomb threat that proved to be a false alarm. When the explosion occurred they began immediately to extricate workers and clerks struggling to get out of the building which was enveloped in thick smoke. The dead man was discovered under debris.
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