This article is from the source 'bbc' and was first published or seen on . It will not be checked again for changes.
You can find the current article at its original source at http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/-/1/hi/world/middle_east/7208458.stm
The article has changed 10 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
| Version 2 | Version 3 |
|---|---|
| Blast rocks Beirut eastern suburb | Blast rocks Beirut eastern suburb |
| (10 minutes later) | |
| At least three people have been killed in a powerful explosion at a junction in a mainly Christian suburb of Beirut, reports from the Lebanese capital say. | At least three people have been killed in a powerful explosion at a junction in a mainly Christian suburb of Beirut, reports from the Lebanese capital say. |
| Lebanese TV showed footage of burning cars and a huge plume of black smoke rising from what was said to be a street in Hazmieh, in east Beirut. | Lebanese TV showed footage of burning cars and a huge plume of black smoke rising from what was said to be a street in Hazmieh, in east Beirut. |
| Lebanese army sources said a security official was killed in the blast. | |
| Beirut has been the scene of a string of bomb attacks since 2004, targeting members of the anti-Syrian movement. | Beirut has been the scene of a string of bomb attacks since 2004, targeting members of the anti-Syrian movement. |
| The blast targeted a vehicle used by a senior police official, according to security sources quoted by Reuters. The fate of the unidentified official was not clear. | |
| TV pictures showed at least one dead body trapped in a tangled vehicle. | TV pictures showed at least one dead body trapped in a tangled vehicle. |
| Emergency workers tried to put out fierce fires on a large number of vehicles. | Emergency workers tried to put out fierce fires on a large number of vehicles. |
| The explosion was heard across the centre of the Lebanese capital. | |
| The blast comes at a time of political crisis in Lebanon with rival pro-Syrian and pro-Western parties deadlocked over efforts to elect a president. | The blast comes at a time of political crisis in Lebanon with rival pro-Syrian and pro-Western parties deadlocked over efforts to elect a president. |
| Last week a car bomb damaged a US diplomatic car in eastern Beirut, killing at least three bystanders. | Last week a car bomb damaged a US diplomatic car in eastern Beirut, killing at least three bystanders. |