An explosion at an electricity distribution centre in the Algerian capital injured 11 people late on Monday, officials said, but were unable to say what caused the blast which also destroyed nearby cars. Interior Minister Noureddine Yazid Zerhouni said a technical investigation had been launched into the explosion, which occurred a day after Algeria said its forces killed the leader of the main Islamic militant group, which is linked to al Qaeda. Algerian anti-terrorist officials were at the scene, along with fire-fighters, who quickly extinguished a blaze that broke out after the blast at about 10 p.m. (2100 GMT). "We can’t say exactly what provoked this incident but the essential organs (of the plant) were not touched," Zerhouni told reporters on a visit to the site.
The Algerian official news agency APS quoted him as saying the explosion, near the Sofitel hotel in central Algiers, might have had an accidental cause. But a local resident, who asked not to be identified, said: "It’s pretty clear this was a car bomb. Just look at that burned out car." Along with the burned-out wreck were the mangled parts of another vehicle. A large section of state-owned Sonelgaz’s main wall had been ripped open and part of the plant’s facade was destroyed. Debris was strewn across a street and nearby windows were blown out. "After I heard the explosion I rushed to the scene and saw bodies on the street, metal and glass everywhere and some of the people looked dead. It was awful," said a local resident who identified himself as Mohamed.
Zerhouni said four of the 11 injured were in serious condition. Many local residents went into the streets after the blast, as ambulance sirens wailed across Algiers, a city of four million people. "It bears the hallmarks of a terrorist attack and if this is confirmed by authorities it marks the first time in several years the capital was hit by a car bomb," said a security expert who declined to be identified.
It has not yet publicly reacted to the slaying of Nabil Sahraoui and three of his main aides but earlier this month said it would continue its fight. |