Eight people are now reported dead following the explosion outside the airport in Burgas, Bulgaria. Earlier reports suggested three people had been killed
Eight people are feared dead after an explosion ripped through a bus carrying Israeli tourists at Burgas airport in Bulgaria.
Police confirmed that 32 people have been taken to hospital. Three are reported to be in critical condition. Footage shows that the bomb completely destroyed the bus.
Reuters reported that Benjamin Netanyahu has blamed Iran for the attack, and the Israeli Prime Minister has promised a reaction.
In a statement Netanyahu said: “All the signs lead to Iran. Only in the past few months we have seen Iranian attempts to attack Israelis in Thailand, India, Georgia, Kenya, Cyprus and other places.”
He added: “Eighteen years exactly after the blast at the Jewish community centre in Argentina, murderous Iranian terror continues to hit innocent people. This is an Iranian terror attack that is spreading throughout the entire world. Israel will react powerfully against Iranian terror.”
The targeted vehicle was one of three or four that had been assigned to ferry around 150 Israeli tourists to their hotel, an Israeli Embassy spokesman told the Huffington Post UK. The tourists had flown in from Israel on a charter flight.
He said: “There was a strong explosion on one bus. The other buses were damaged, but not seriously.”
The spokesman could not confirm the number of dead and said the Israeli government could not say for certain whether the attack was specifically targeted at Israelis by terrorists, but that suspicion is hanging in the air.
He said: “It’s hard to be sure. We do know from TV broadcasting that Hezbollah didn’t take responsibility, but they are reporting the blast with joy.
“Also, today is the 18th anniversary, to the day, of the attack on a Jewish community centre in Buenos Aires in which 85 people were killed.
“And last week the Cyprus authorities arrested a Hezbollah militant – based on different reports – who was holding a Swedish passport at the time, who was collecting information on Israeli flights.
“It wouldn’t be too hard to guess that it’s another attempt to target Israelis, but at the moment we cannot confirm.”
A witness told Israeli radio that the explosion happened immediately after someone boarded a bus, adding to suspicion that it may have been a suicide bomb.
Thick black smoke could be seen billowing from around the airport terminal after the explosion.
Speaking on Wednesday evening, Foreign Secretary William Hague condemn the attack.
“The full tragedy of the attacks is not yet clear, but I would like to express my condolences to the friends and family of those injured and killed,” he said.
Flights to Burgas have been diverted to Varna Airport.
AOL