Suicide Auto Blast Kills 23 in West Beirut

Two suicide bombers crashed an explosives-laden car into a Lebanese army position in West Beirut today, killing 23 people and wounding 36, the state radio said.

The explosion rocked Beirut shortly after nightfall. The attack was aimed at the army’s mainly Shia Muslim 6th Brigade, which is deployed in West Beirut.

The state radio said that three soldiers were among the dead and that six were wounded.

Soldiers who survived the attack told reporters that two young, bearded men were riding in the car and were blown to pieces when the automobile exploded.

The state radio issued appeals through radio stations for “urgent blood donations and for all doctors to report immediately to duty at hospitals to save the lives of victims.”

Soldiers Fire in Air

Pools of blood covered the seaside boulevard as nervous soldiers fired into the air to keep curious pedestrians away and facilitate the evacuation of victims, witnesses said.

The blast occurred only a few hundred yards from the capital’s luxurious Summerland hotel-beach complex.

The windows of the hotel and other nearby buildings were shattered by the explosions, and several cars were seen burning.