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At Least Seven Dead in Jerusalem Bus Bombing
Aired August 19, 2003 - 14:43 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.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Another explosion happening at this moment, this one in Jerusalem. We've now confirmed a suicide bomber did blow himself up on a packed Jerusalem bus, killing several people, wounding dozens more. Police and paramedics on the scene. So far no immediate claim of responsibility.
The blast went off shortly after 9 p.m. on a main thoroughfare there in Jerusalem.
These pictures just coming in to us. As you can see, the bus completely destroyed by the suicide bomber. We're told that possibly two buses, these two buses affected in that explosion.
Paramedics on the scene now, treating the wounded as quickly as possible. As you can see -- It's hard to see those pictures, working on the lives as we speak, trying to save the lives. As you see, two little children here, mouth to mouth right here on a small child, can't be older than 3 years old. Tough pictures to look at.
Jerrold Kessel on the phone right now with us. He's actually on the phone, walking towards the scene.
Jerrold, what can you tell us?
JERROLD KESSEL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, (UNINTELLIGIBLE) look...
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (UNINTELLIGIBLE)
PHILLIPS: Jerrold, can you hear me OK?
All right. We're having trouble connecting with Jerrold Kessel. You guys just let me know when we get him on the phone again while we try to make contact with Jerrold.
As you can imagine it's pretty chaotic on the streets of Jerusalem right now. Pretty bone-chilling pictures, watching rescue workers carry the wounded from these buses into ambulances. Even more chilling are the pictures of these rescue workers giving mouth-to- mouth resuscitation to young children there on the streets of Jerusalem. You see a lot of the injured here.
What we can tell you now, a suicide bomber blew himself up on a packed bus in Jerusalem about 9 p.m. Jerusalem time.
Here are the pictures of that bus, where the suicide bomber was, where that bomb exploded. Possibly the second bus next to it being affected there, as well. These pictures just coming in to us.
No immediate claim right now of responsibility. But we can tell you, according to Israeli police, there are a number of dead and wounded. We cannot give you any type of confirmation on the number. Things are still unfolding right now on the streets of Jerusalem. This is pretty busy thoroughfare in Jerusalem.
I'm hearing some sound now. Do we have connection with our Jerrold Kessel via telephone? We still don't have Jerrold. We're trying to work him -- you can see here a small child inside the ambulance being worked on by paramedics. It seems a lot of children injured in this explosion on this bus in Jerusalem.
Unedited video, we have to tell you. So there are some pictures here that may be difficult for you to take. It's been unedited. We're just rolling the pictures as we get them in. A little gruesome, I guess you could say. But quite a reality check of how the suicide bombers affect the lives of little children and families when this takes place.
Acts of terrorism, no doubt, on the streets of Jerusalem. A suicide bomber once again exploding -- or blowing himself up on a bus, a packed bus, children and families desperately trying -- right now you can see the medics working right now, pumping on the hearts of some of the victims here on the streets of Jerusalem. You can see the carnage.
Jerrold Kessel, now I understand we have connection with you via telephone. Are you on the scene yet? We're seeing some unedited video. It's quite bone-chilling -- Jerrold.
KESSEL: Indeed it is, Kyra. This is all too familiar a sight here in Jerusalem and elsewhere in Israeli cities. A bus clearly now having been hit in another terror attack. But it does seem the Israeli police are saying a suicide bomber aboard the bus, the stricken bus as you can probably see just turned the corner into the ultra-orthodox Jewish neighborhood of Mea Shearim. And it was there that the explosion took place just about half an hour ago.
Police are a little bit under the weather in the sense that they're trying and have just about evacuated all the casualties. We do know there are dead. According to medical relief services, there are a number of fatalities. At least 30 and probably more people wounded. It was one of these long buses, as you see. Powerful explosion in the middle of the bus.
And police now carrying away another one of the casualties to awaiting ambulances on the next intersection. Police have been trying to push back all the interested people from the neighborhood, for fear perhaps there's another bomb unexploded or in a car nearby.
You'll excuse me for being out of breath was we try to get down to the scene, as the aftermath all too familiar and all too horrifying aftermath of another explosion in a city bus in Jerusalem -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: Jerrold, stay with us, if you can, as you work this story. We're basically rolling unedited videotape now.
Obviously, we've been trying to get word, no claim, I guess, no one taking a claim for this explosion so far. But, of course, Palestinian militants waging an almost 35-month-old uprising for independence have frequently taken responsibility for these attacks.
Jerrold, you're not getting word yet -- we've lost Jerrold. He is not on the telephone. He's working that story right now in Jerusalem.
Miles, you have some information?
MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Yes, we have a couple of things going on here, Kyra.
First of all, just a word to our viewers on what you're seeing here. As this video is played out, as we have been telling you, it is unedited and there are some pictures which have been rather stark and would typically not be a part of CNN fare. But in the moments immediately following an event like this these kind of things happen.
So we would encourage parents out there not to allow their children to be sitting and watching CNN right this moment. Probably not the best time for them to be doing that.
Now just to bring you up to date on a couple of things. They're saying at least 30 have been injured. According to Reuters and the Associated Press, at least three people are dead. But obviously those numbers are going to fluctuate quite a bit.
Let's go to Samson Desta, a producer with us there in Jerusalem. He's on the line right now. Samson, what can you tell us?
SAMSON DESTA, CNN PRODUCER: Well, I can tell you I'm at the scene right now. I'm standing near the line that divides east and west Jerusalem. And it seems there has been a suicide bombing on a bus. This is a double bus.
And police are telling us that it was extremely powerful bomb that went off in the middle of that double bus, and witnesses also telling us that there are a number of dead people inside the bus. Witnesses also have seen the suicide bomber himself.
We have also been told by our cameramen, Abu Walla (ph), who has seen at least one person dead.
I can tell you that it's a very chaotic scene here. A whole lot of ambulances and a whole lot of police. We got here about 15 or 20 minutes after that bomb exploded. We ran our way hereafter after we got a call that there was a bomb explosion. When we got here it was an extremely chaotic scene. Police really didn't have a grasp of what had happened here.
We were allowed to actually get very close to the area and a whole lot of people now have actually flocked to this area. And they have not been able to cordon off the area completely. We have not been able to make our way to the bus yet. But again, a very chaotic scene here, and police are telling us a number of dead people in this explosion.
O'BRIEN: Samson -- and we want to remind our viewers you are watching unedited viewers which is coming to us directly from Israeli television, and so we don't have a lot of control over some of the images you are seeing.
Samson, clear up one thing for me. It is a double length bus. There are reports that one bus is devastated and that another bus was hit. Does that imply that the double length bus is the only thing involved here or is there yet another bus?
DESTA: It's so far what I have heard is that it's just one bus. It may very well be another bomb that may have been expected (ph) in this spot. But what I have been told by police here that it was one double-length bus that an extremely powerful bomb had exploded inside the bus.
And that we have now been told that 74 people have been taken to the hospital; 13 of them are in serious condition. Seventy-four people is a high number, and that reflects the number of ambulances that are here and we can -- I can actually tell you that we can still see people that are being brought out from that area where the bus is and are being loaded onto stretchers and onto ambulances.
And, also, this was, again, we're being told this is an extremely large bomb and they may have difficulty getting some of those bodies out. Some of these ambulances are just still parked here. They're still waiting for those injured and possibly for those dead to be brought out. So it may have actually a difficult situation here of bringing people out of the bus.
O'BRIEN: Samson, it's now been about 40 minutes or so since this attack occurred. Just describe for us, if you would, where in Jerusalem this is, what this neighborhood would be like at that hour. I guess, local time would be approaching 10 p.m. now, correct?
DESTA: That is correct. This is near the old city. Again, this is literally the row that divides east and west Jerusalem. The explosion took place on a bus on the west Jerusalem side, maybe about 100 yards past that dividing line.
This is a religious area. This is not the first time that an explosion has occurred in this area. It's a religious area. And at this time usually this is the time that I go back to the hotel to work, and it is extremely busy area. A lot of people walking through here. A number of people getting on and off. It is a very busy area.
O'BRIEN: OK. So even at that hour the buses would be very full?
DESTA: Absolutely. Absolutely. This is an area that is busy at that hour. Again, this is a route that I take pretty much every day from my hotel to work and back. And I do -- and I do see a whole lot of people in that hour who are still making their way home, getting on the buses, meeting the buses. O'BRIEN: Samson, I'm curious, when you take that route, do you take the bus?
DESTA: No, I do not. I do not take the bus. I take a taxi, actually.
O'BRIEN: Al right. Let's talk for just a moment about the respite we've seen in this -- so sadly these bus bombings have been frequently used by Palestinian militants who are bent on martyrdom, as they put it.
But since June 29 when, acting at the behest of the Palestinians, these sorts of attacks have abated. What has changed most recently, do you think, that might have precipitated this?
DESTA: Well, I can tell you this, and I've been here for about two months now. And it's been relatively quiet and (UNINTELLIGIBLE) about the militants. And you started seeing people actually going out, a number of people were going out to restaurants, cafes and other public areas. And there was a change in the atmosphere. People felt a bit more relaxed. This was very evident in what you saw out there.
However, we've seen two incidents now over the past two weeks in which Israeli army, in going after what they say are suspected terrorists, have killed two militants, the latest one last week a Islamic Jihad local commander. He was killed. Following that Islamic Jihad had promised that they would eventually -- the killing of this leader. This was just a few days ago. And this may be it but we don't know at this point again.
O'BRIEN: So what you're saying is, the tit for tat may very well be back in full bloom?
DESTA: It may very well be back, but despite those incidents last week, the militants said that they are still committed to the judna (ph). But that they have a right to respond to what they say are aggressive moves by Israelis, such as going after these militants. And but they always claimed they are committed to the judna (ph), the cease-fire. However, if the Israelis continue with these raids that there would be a response.
O'BRIEN: And the atmosphere, you suggest from your previous comments, was that people were breathing a little sigh of relief, perhaps letting their guard down a little bit?
DESTA: That may very well be. I'm not quite sure. I can only speculate.
But from what I have seen here, again, over the past two months is that a lot of people have started coming out, and locals here will also tell you this is really unusual to see people out and relaxing and going to cafes and public areas. They have been letting their guards down. I'm not quite sure. I cannot speak for them.
O'BRIEN: Now as far as -- very -- it's premature obviously, as we're talking about something that happened 40 minutes or so ago, 50 minutes ago, but do you care to give us some sort of assessment of what kind of a obstacle this might be on what we call the road map toward peace?
DESTA: That's a very good question. It is a very difficult question to answer.
As you mentioned earlier, this may very well be one of those tit- tat, we attack and you respond sort of things. But the Americans have put a lot of pressure on both sides to stay away from that sort of thing. The Palestinian leadership have also said that this really doesn't help their cause in implementing those measures that are called -- have been called out after the road map. Again, we just have to remain to see what the Israelis will do at this point.
O'BRIEN: And, of course, the Israelis have reserved the right in this case to act in reprisal if need be.
DESTA: That is absolutely right. They've always maintained that they will do whatever it takes to protect the citizens, and this may very well be one of those cases where today or tomorrow they will reconvene and assess the situation and decide how they are going to respond to
O'BRIEN: Samson Desta is our producer in our Jerusalem bureau on the scene right now. He's got a lot of work to do. We're going to let him loose to do just that.
Just to recap for you, happened about 2:15 eastern time, about 45, 50 minutes ago in the heart of Jerusalem. Very powerful bomb exploding on a big bus, one of those two-length buses, trailer type buses.
We have all kinds of numbers but don't know what to make of them. The fact of the matter is we know, according to CNN, at least 30 people were carried away from the scene. AP and Reuters reporting three dead. We're just working on that now.
The fact of the matter is the sadly familiar scene that you see right now unfolding happening once again after a respite from that kind of violence in Israel.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
Aired August 19, 2003 - 14:43 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Another explosion happening at this moment, this one in Jerusalem. We've now confirmed a suicide bomber did blow himself up on a packed Jerusalem bus, killing several people, wounding dozens more. Police and paramedics on the scene. So far no immediate claim of responsibility.
The blast went off shortly after 9 p.m. on a main thoroughfare there in Jerusalem.
These pictures just coming in to us. As you can see, the bus completely destroyed by the suicide bomber. We're told that possibly two buses, these two buses affected in that explosion.
Paramedics on the scene now, treating the wounded as quickly as possible. As you can see -- It's hard to see those pictures, working on the lives as we speak, trying to save the lives. As you see, two little children here, mouth to mouth right here on a small child, can't be older than 3 years old. Tough pictures to look at.
Jerrold Kessel on the phone right now with us. He's actually on the phone, walking towards the scene.
Jerrold, what can you tell us?
JERROLD KESSEL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, (UNINTELLIGIBLE) look...
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (UNINTELLIGIBLE)
PHILLIPS: Jerrold, can you hear me OK?
All right. We're having trouble connecting with Jerrold Kessel. You guys just let me know when we get him on the phone again while we try to make contact with Jerrold.
As you can imagine it's pretty chaotic on the streets of Jerusalem right now. Pretty bone-chilling pictures, watching rescue workers carry the wounded from these buses into ambulances. Even more chilling are the pictures of these rescue workers giving mouth-to- mouth resuscitation to young children there on the streets of Jerusalem. You see a lot of the injured here.
What we can tell you now, a suicide bomber blew himself up on a packed bus in Jerusalem about 9 p.m. Jerusalem time.
Here are the pictures of that bus, where the suicide bomber was, where that bomb exploded. Possibly the second bus next to it being affected there, as well. These pictures just coming in to us.
No immediate claim right now of responsibility. But we can tell you, according to Israeli police, there are a number of dead and wounded. We cannot give you any type of confirmation on the number. Things are still unfolding right now on the streets of Jerusalem. This is pretty busy thoroughfare in Jerusalem.
I'm hearing some sound now. Do we have connection with our Jerrold Kessel via telephone? We still don't have Jerrold. We're trying to work him -- you can see here a small child inside the ambulance being worked on by paramedics. It seems a lot of children injured in this explosion on this bus in Jerusalem.
Unedited video, we have to tell you. So there are some pictures here that may be difficult for you to take. It's been unedited. We're just rolling the pictures as we get them in. A little gruesome, I guess you could say. But quite a reality check of how the suicide bombers affect the lives of little children and families when this takes place.
Acts of terrorism, no doubt, on the streets of Jerusalem. A suicide bomber once again exploding -- or blowing himself up on a bus, a packed bus, children and families desperately trying -- right now you can see the medics working right now, pumping on the hearts of some of the victims here on the streets of Jerusalem. You can see the carnage.
Jerrold Kessel, now I understand we have connection with you via telephone. Are you on the scene yet? We're seeing some unedited video. It's quite bone-chilling -- Jerrold.
KESSEL: Indeed it is, Kyra. This is all too familiar a sight here in Jerusalem and elsewhere in Israeli cities. A bus clearly now having been hit in another terror attack. But it does seem the Israeli police are saying a suicide bomber aboard the bus, the stricken bus as you can probably see just turned the corner into the ultra-orthodox Jewish neighborhood of Mea Shearim. And it was there that the explosion took place just about half an hour ago.
Police are a little bit under the weather in the sense that they're trying and have just about evacuated all the casualties. We do know there are dead. According to medical relief services, there are a number of fatalities. At least 30 and probably more people wounded. It was one of these long buses, as you see. Powerful explosion in the middle of the bus.
And police now carrying away another one of the casualties to awaiting ambulances on the next intersection. Police have been trying to push back all the interested people from the neighborhood, for fear perhaps there's another bomb unexploded or in a car nearby.
You'll excuse me for being out of breath was we try to get down to the scene, as the aftermath all too familiar and all too horrifying aftermath of another explosion in a city bus in Jerusalem -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: Jerrold, stay with us, if you can, as you work this story. We're basically rolling unedited videotape now.
Obviously, we've been trying to get word, no claim, I guess, no one taking a claim for this explosion so far. But, of course, Palestinian militants waging an almost 35-month-old uprising for independence have frequently taken responsibility for these attacks.
Jerrold, you're not getting word yet -- we've lost Jerrold. He is not on the telephone. He's working that story right now in Jerusalem.
Miles, you have some information?
MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Yes, we have a couple of things going on here, Kyra.
First of all, just a word to our viewers on what you're seeing here. As this video is played out, as we have been telling you, it is unedited and there are some pictures which have been rather stark and would typically not be a part of CNN fare. But in the moments immediately following an event like this these kind of things happen.
So we would encourage parents out there not to allow their children to be sitting and watching CNN right this moment. Probably not the best time for them to be doing that.
Now just to bring you up to date on a couple of things. They're saying at least 30 have been injured. According to Reuters and the Associated Press, at least three people are dead. But obviously those numbers are going to fluctuate quite a bit.
Let's go to Samson Desta, a producer with us there in Jerusalem. He's on the line right now. Samson, what can you tell us?
SAMSON DESTA, CNN PRODUCER: Well, I can tell you I'm at the scene right now. I'm standing near the line that divides east and west Jerusalem. And it seems there has been a suicide bombing on a bus. This is a double bus.
And police are telling us that it was extremely powerful bomb that went off in the middle of that double bus, and witnesses also telling us that there are a number of dead people inside the bus. Witnesses also have seen the suicide bomber himself.
We have also been told by our cameramen, Abu Walla (ph), who has seen at least one person dead.
I can tell you that it's a very chaotic scene here. A whole lot of ambulances and a whole lot of police. We got here about 15 or 20 minutes after that bomb exploded. We ran our way hereafter after we got a call that there was a bomb explosion. When we got here it was an extremely chaotic scene. Police really didn't have a grasp of what had happened here.
We were allowed to actually get very close to the area and a whole lot of people now have actually flocked to this area. And they have not been able to cordon off the area completely. We have not been able to make our way to the bus yet. But again, a very chaotic scene here, and police are telling us a number of dead people in this explosion.
O'BRIEN: Samson -- and we want to remind our viewers you are watching unedited viewers which is coming to us directly from Israeli television, and so we don't have a lot of control over some of the images you are seeing.
Samson, clear up one thing for me. It is a double length bus. There are reports that one bus is devastated and that another bus was hit. Does that imply that the double length bus is the only thing involved here or is there yet another bus?
DESTA: It's so far what I have heard is that it's just one bus. It may very well be another bomb that may have been expected (ph) in this spot. But what I have been told by police here that it was one double-length bus that an extremely powerful bomb had exploded inside the bus.
And that we have now been told that 74 people have been taken to the hospital; 13 of them are in serious condition. Seventy-four people is a high number, and that reflects the number of ambulances that are here and we can -- I can actually tell you that we can still see people that are being brought out from that area where the bus is and are being loaded onto stretchers and onto ambulances.
And, also, this was, again, we're being told this is an extremely large bomb and they may have difficulty getting some of those bodies out. Some of these ambulances are just still parked here. They're still waiting for those injured and possibly for those dead to be brought out. So it may have actually a difficult situation here of bringing people out of the bus.
O'BRIEN: Samson, it's now been about 40 minutes or so since this attack occurred. Just describe for us, if you would, where in Jerusalem this is, what this neighborhood would be like at that hour. I guess, local time would be approaching 10 p.m. now, correct?
DESTA: That is correct. This is near the old city. Again, this is literally the row that divides east and west Jerusalem. The explosion took place on a bus on the west Jerusalem side, maybe about 100 yards past that dividing line.
This is a religious area. This is not the first time that an explosion has occurred in this area. It's a religious area. And at this time usually this is the time that I go back to the hotel to work, and it is extremely busy area. A lot of people walking through here. A number of people getting on and off. It is a very busy area.
O'BRIEN: OK. So even at that hour the buses would be very full?
DESTA: Absolutely. Absolutely. This is an area that is busy at that hour. Again, this is a route that I take pretty much every day from my hotel to work and back. And I do -- and I do see a whole lot of people in that hour who are still making their way home, getting on the buses, meeting the buses. O'BRIEN: Samson, I'm curious, when you take that route, do you take the bus?
DESTA: No, I do not. I do not take the bus. I take a taxi, actually.
O'BRIEN: Al right. Let's talk for just a moment about the respite we've seen in this -- so sadly these bus bombings have been frequently used by Palestinian militants who are bent on martyrdom, as they put it.
But since June 29 when, acting at the behest of the Palestinians, these sorts of attacks have abated. What has changed most recently, do you think, that might have precipitated this?
DESTA: Well, I can tell you this, and I've been here for about two months now. And it's been relatively quiet and (UNINTELLIGIBLE) about the militants. And you started seeing people actually going out, a number of people were going out to restaurants, cafes and other public areas. And there was a change in the atmosphere. People felt a bit more relaxed. This was very evident in what you saw out there.
However, we've seen two incidents now over the past two weeks in which Israeli army, in going after what they say are suspected terrorists, have killed two militants, the latest one last week a Islamic Jihad local commander. He was killed. Following that Islamic Jihad had promised that they would eventually -- the killing of this leader. This was just a few days ago. And this may be it but we don't know at this point again.
O'BRIEN: So what you're saying is, the tit for tat may very well be back in full bloom?
DESTA: It may very well be back, but despite those incidents last week, the militants said that they are still committed to the judna (ph). But that they have a right to respond to what they say are aggressive moves by Israelis, such as going after these militants. And but they always claimed they are committed to the judna (ph), the cease-fire. However, if the Israelis continue with these raids that there would be a response.
O'BRIEN: And the atmosphere, you suggest from your previous comments, was that people were breathing a little sigh of relief, perhaps letting their guard down a little bit?
DESTA: That may very well be. I'm not quite sure. I can only speculate.
But from what I have seen here, again, over the past two months is that a lot of people have started coming out, and locals here will also tell you this is really unusual to see people out and relaxing and going to cafes and public areas. They have been letting their guards down. I'm not quite sure. I cannot speak for them.
O'BRIEN: Now as far as -- very -- it's premature obviously, as we're talking about something that happened 40 minutes or so ago, 50 minutes ago, but do you care to give us some sort of assessment of what kind of a obstacle this might be on what we call the road map toward peace?
DESTA: That's a very good question. It is a very difficult question to answer.
As you mentioned earlier, this may very well be one of those tit- tat, we attack and you respond sort of things. But the Americans have put a lot of pressure on both sides to stay away from that sort of thing. The Palestinian leadership have also said that this really doesn't help their cause in implementing those measures that are called -- have been called out after the road map. Again, we just have to remain to see what the Israelis will do at this point.
O'BRIEN: And, of course, the Israelis have reserved the right in this case to act in reprisal if need be.
DESTA: That is absolutely right. They've always maintained that they will do whatever it takes to protect the citizens, and this may very well be one of those cases where today or tomorrow they will reconvene and assess the situation and decide how they are going to respond to
O'BRIEN: Samson Desta is our producer in our Jerusalem bureau on the scene right now. He's got a lot of work to do. We're going to let him loose to do just that.
Just to recap for you, happened about 2:15 eastern time, about 45, 50 minutes ago in the heart of Jerusalem. Very powerful bomb exploding on a big bus, one of those two-length buses, trailer type buses.
We have all kinds of numbers but don't know what to make of them. The fact of the matter is we know, according to CNN, at least 30 people were carried away from the scene. AP and Reuters reporting three dead. We're just working on that now.
The fact of the matter is the sadly familiar scene that you see right now unfolding happening once again after a respite from that kind of violence in Israel.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
