Lebanon Rocked By Bus Bombs

Up to 12 people were killed today when explosions tore through two buses travelling north of Beirut.

Lebanon's news agency reported that the blasts occurred in the village of Ein Alaq, just south of the town of Bikfaya. Arab media quoted Lebanese civil defence sources as saying at least 20 people were injured.

Television footage showed at least one bus totally destroyed and ambulances carrying away people.

Blood was pooled in several places near the bus wreckage. Troops in military uniforms and army buses were also at the scene.

The interior minister, Hassan al-Sabaa, said early information suggested that the bombs had exploded inside the minibuses. A government source told Reuters that the possibility of suicide bombings had not been ruled out.

The driver of the first bus was among the dead. On seeing the explosion, the driver of the second bus was said to have got out of his vehicle and was wounded by the subsequent blast.

The explosions come at a time of increased sectarian tensions in Lebanon, and one day before the second anniversary of the assassination of the former prime minister, Rafik Hariri.

A mass rally had been planned for Wednesday in downtown Beirut to mark the killing of the Sunni politician.

Al-Jazeera reported that the area where the explosions took place, 12 miles north-east of Beirut, was a Christian stronghold. The channel's reporter, Zeina Khodr, said the Christian community felt they were targets of sectarian attack.

Bikfaya is the ancestral home of the Gemayel family, a prominent political Christian family in Lebanon. Pierre Gemayel, a cabinet member, was assassinated last November.

Appeals for urgent blood donations were broadcast as ambulances rushed casualties to hospitals in the region and in Beirut. The Voice Of Lebanon radio stations said the targeted buses were driving people to work.