Jerusalem suffers gas blast scare

AN explosion apparently caused by a faulty gas cannister in a shop sparked brief alarm in central Jerusalem last night, but no one was hurt, police said.

Ambulances raced to the scene of the explosion, which caused heavy damage to the store near Jerusalem’s outdoor Mahane Yehuda Market after dark, police spokesman Shmuel Ben-Ruby said.

Rescue services earlier reported that several people were hurt. Israel Radio said two were treated for shock.

The market has been the site of numerous Palestinian bomb attacks in the past decade and particularly during an uprising that erupted in September 2000 after peace talks failed.