Aftermath of bomb blast, firefighters, soldiers at scene
(27 Mar 2005) SHOTLIST Night shots 1. Wide of wreckage and emergency vehicles at scene 2. Fireman on platform hosing down flames inside building, smoke billowing 3. Officials at scene, slow pan up to fireman on platform hosing down flames 4. Fireman on platform hosing down flames inside building 5. Wreckage on street, emergency vehicles at site 6. Emergency workers on street 7. Fireman on platform hosing down building 8. Soldier, emergency workers at site 9. Firefighters surrounded by foam, using hose, pan up to building 10. Firefighter using hose 11. SOUNDBITE: (English) Nabil Defreij, Opposition MP: "You know with these kinds of regimes, everything is possible - more explosions, more assassinations, more killings... I don't know, I hope not." 12. Pan from wreckage on ground to emergency vehicles 13. Water pouring out of building window, pull out to wide 14. Soldiers standing in group 15. Firefighters using hose, pan to wreckage 16. Police standing on road STORYLINE A bomb blast set off huge fires in a mainly Christian Beirut suburb on Saturday, injuring five people in the third such attack in eight days. Opposition leaders blamed Syria, saying Damascus hoped to sow fear as it withdraws troops from Lebanon. The latest attack, targeting an industrial estate in Beirut's northeastern Bouchrieh area, raised tensions another notch in Lebanon, which has been gripped by political turmoil since the February 14 assassination of former premier Rafik Hariri. Opposition groups have blamed long-time mentor Syria and pro-Damascus Lebanese authorities for his killing. Both vehemently deny such claims. Opposition leaders have predicted Syrian-allied security forces would launch attacks aimed at proving Lebanon was unable to control security in its own country in the midst of a Syrian troop withdrawal that continued on Saturday, a demand of the United States, United Nations and Lebanese opposed to Damascus' control over this country. A 25 kilogramme (55 pound) bomb was placed between a car and a wood factory in the Bouchrieh industrial estate, Lebanon's police chief quoted an explosives expert as saying. The blast left a 1 metre (3 feet) deep, 3 metre (10 feet) wide crater, destroyed nearby cars and shattered windows throughout the estate. A Lebanese woman and two Indian workers were injured, as were two civil defence workers working on extinguishing the raging fire that engulfed at least six buildings, security officials said. Witnesses said the blast on the eve of the Easter holiday occurred three hours before Catholics were to head to a midnight Mass. The motive behind the latest attacks weren't immediately clear. But Lebanese opposition leaders have blamed Syrian security agents and pro-Damascus Lebanese authorities for trying to show a need for Syria's military presence in Lebanon. Nabil Defreij, an opposition MP said "You know with these kinds of regimes, everything is possible, more explosions, more assassinations, more killings... I don't know, I hope not." Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork Twitter: / ap_archive Facebook: / aparchives Instagram: / apnews You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/you...
