ERUSALEM — State-run Israel Radio says a woman has died from a bomb blast at a Jerusalem bus stop.
It is the first death from Wednesday's explosion, which also wounded more than 20 other people.
Israeli authorities have blamed Palestinian militants for the blast, the first major attack in Jerusalem in several years.
THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP's earlier story is below.
JERUSALEM (AP) – A bomb struck a crowded bus stop in central Jerusalem Wednesday, wounding some 25 people in what authorities said was the first major Palestinian militant attack in the city in several years.
The bombing brought back memories of the second Palestinian uprising last decade, a period in which hundreds of Israelis were killed by suicide bombings in Jerusalem and other major cities.
There was no immediate claim of responsibility, but Israeli police blamed Palestinian militants. The attack comes as tensions have been escalating between the two sides. In recent days, Hamas and other armed groups in the neighboring Gaza Strip have been firing rockets and mortars into Israel, prompting Israeli reprisals.
"We are talking about a terror attack," said police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld.
Israel's public security minister, Yitzhak Aharonovich, told Channel 2 TV that the bomb was about four pounds (one to two kilograms) and was planted in a small bag on the sidewalk. He said security services were on alert for additional attacks.
The 3 p.m. attack occurred near the main entrance to Jerusalem, next to the city's central bus station, an area that is crowded with travelers and passers-by at all hours of the day.
The blast reverberated throughout Jerusalem and blew out the windows of two crowded buses. Rescuers removed bloodied people from the area on stretchers, as sirens from speeding ambulances wailed in the background.
Israel's national rescue service said 25 people were wounded, including four in critical condition. No deaths were reported.
Jerusalem's police chief, Aharon Franco, said there were no firm leads but authorities were investigating a possible link to a small bombing earlier this month that wounded a garbage collector as he removed the device from a trash can.
Meir Hagid, one of the bus drivers, said he heard a loud explosion as he drove by the site, located near the main entrance to Jerusalem and its central bus station.
"I heard the explosion in the bus stop," he said. He halted his vehicle and people got off. He said nobody in his bus was hurt.
Read More: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/03/23/jerusalem-explosion-israel-bus-blast_n_839455.html
