Blast rocks Beirut, wounding three

A loud explosion turned several buildings in a Beirut industrial area into raging infernos today and a military officer said at least three people were wounded. Arab TV stations cited security officials saying a bomb caused the blast.

The natureof the explosion was not immediately known, but witnesses said the blast, coming on the eve of the Easter holiday, occurred in the Bouchrieh-Dekweneh industrial zone in a predominantly Christian part of north-eastern Beirut.