Report: At least 15 hurt in Israeli bus bombing

At least 15 people are wounded after a Monday bus bombing in Jerusalem, according to local news reports.

Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat confirmed that the blast was a terrorist attack caused by an explosive in the vehicle’s chassis, according to Haaretz.

Haaretz on Monday reported that emergency responders suspect the device was placed in the back of the bus.

It sent glass shards flying and ignited a strong fire quickly, it added, actions consistent with a bombing.

“Fifteen wounded people who were conscious were lying on the road with burns and bleeds,” senior Magen David Adom paramedic Elad Pass said of the scene’s aftermath.

Haaretz reported that two people were seriously wounded in the attack, while six were moderately injured and nine were lightly hurt.

One of the seriously wounded, three of the moderately wounded and three of the lightly wounded were evacuated to Shaare Zedek Medical Center in Jerusalem.

The remaining eight victims, it added, were transferred to Hadassah Medical Center Ein Karem in the Israeli capital city instead.

An Israeli police spokesperson on Monday said the bus did not have passengers aboard during the blast.

An Egged bus was traveling from the southern part of the city when witnesses reported hearing an explosion on Moshe Baram Street.

Israeli Police spokesman Asi Aharoni earlier on Monday said authorities were unsure if they were dealing with terrorism.

“There are witnesses to the sound of an explosion but there is other testimony as well.

“We had no focused warning, not ahead of Passover,” he told Haaretz.  “We have deployed reinforcements. We will try to understand what happened to draw lessons from what has occurred.

“It is very difficult to figure out from people on the scene what exactly has happened.  The more we investigate, the more we will find out.”

This post was updated at 1:18 p.m.