Suicide driver kills 13 in bus attack

A SUICIDE bomber drove his car alongside a bus in northern Israel during the afternoon rush-hour yesterday, detonated his deadly cargo and killed at least 13 people as the entire bus was engulfed in flames.

The powerful blast, which turned the bus and the car into blackened skeletons, occurred several miles inland from the coastal town of Hadera, at Karkur Junction. The intense flames sent plumes of smoke into the sky and initially prevented police and rescue workers from approaching the bus.

"A car full of explosives drew up next to the bus and blew up," said Zelig Feiner, spokesman for Zaka rescue service.