Bus explosion - Syria denies bomb

Iranians in deadly Syrian bus blast

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An explosion has hit a bus carrying Iranian pilgrims in Damascus, killing at least three people and shattering windows in nearby buildings, in what Syria says was an accident and not an attack.

Witnesses said a bomb hit the bus near the Shi'ite shrine of Sayyeda Zainab, killing six people, but Syrian officials said it was an exploding tyre.

"There was no terrorism factor behind the bus incident," Syrian Interior Minister Said Sammour said. "The bus entered a petrol station to have one of its burst tyres inflated and the tyre exploded. Three people were killed."

The explosion destroyed the rear of the bus and shattered windows at a nearby hospital that received people wounded in the explosion, the witnesses said.

"Body parts are still scattered around the bus," one witness said.

Syrian security forces deployed in the area, a popular destination for Shi'ites from Iran and Lebanon, and home to thousands of Iraqi refugees.

The blast took place as Saeed Jalili, secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security council and the country's chief nuclear negotiator, was visiting Damascus for meetings with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and other officials.

The official Syrian news agency said Jalili and Assad agreed their two countries must continue to "consult and co-ordinate on what serves the security and stability" of the Middle East.

The alliance between Syria and Iran has contributed to a rift between Damascus and influential Arab players Saudi Arabia and Egypt and is one factor holding up a rapprochement between Syria and the United States.

- Reuters