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CNN Live Today

Seven Dead, Eight Critically Wounded in Bus Attack

Aired July 16, 2002 - 11:15   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(JOINED IN PROGRESS)

MIKE HANNA, CNN JERUSALEM BUREAU CHIEF: Outside the settlement of Emanuel, we are joined by CNN's John Vause. John, what are you seeing there?

JOHN VAUSE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The situation, as it stands right now, the IDF and the police are moving journalists and reporters away from the scene. There are three unexploded grenades still inside that bus. We are being told by the police that what happened, shortly after that initial explosion, the gunmen came down from the hills, opened fire as passengers (AUDIO GAP) got out of the bus, (AUDIO GAP) thrown into the bus. None of them exploded, but it is still considered a very dangerous situation at this stage.

The bomb squad is in there, trying to take care of those unexploded grenades. Right now, as you said earlier, a massive search underway, at least four Israeli helicopters in the sky, many, many soldiers scouring the bush lands around this area, and also around the area of Emanuel, the settlement where this bus was heading to. The search continues, and will continue, we are told, well into the night. But this situation seems to be developing right now, as far as these unexploded grenades inside the bus. The bomb squad trying to detonate them. They're being very, very cautious, as you can imagine, around the scene here.

We are being told that at least eight people have been taken to hospital in a serious condition amongst those 15 others who were wounded. Now, we're told that those who were killed and those who were seriously wounded were all those who got out of the bus after that initial explosion. The police, though, tell us that had those grenades gone off inside that bus (AUDIO GAP) of course, would have been higher death toll -- Mike.

HANNA: CNN's John Vause on the scene outside the West Bank settlement of Emanuel, scene of the latest Palestinian attack on Jewish settlers. At least seven people reported to be killed, two separate claims of responsibility have been received, one from the Al Aqsa Martyr's Brigade, an armed offshoot of Yasser Arafat's Fatah movement. It has claimed responsibility in a phone call to several news agencies.

Also a claim of responsibility from the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine, this a nationalist radical Palestinian group which has claimed responsibility in a fax sent to a Ramallah news agency. No independent confirmation of these claims as yet.

Leon, what we can tell you, seven people dead, as many as 15 injured, and, as we've heard from our man on the scene, John Vause, at least eight of these 15 are in a serious condition -- Leon.

LEON HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: Mike Hanna, Jerusalem bureau chief, reporting live for us this morning. We sure appreciate it.

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