Eight killed in Israel bus-stop terror attack

Driver flees after deliberately ploughing into group

Eight Israelis have been killed and at least 10 injured after a Palestinian drove a bus into a group waiting at a bus-stop in what police said was a terror attack.

Eight Israelis have been killed and at least 10 injured after a Palestinian drove a bus into a group waiting at a bus-stop in what police said was a terror attack.

The driver fled in the bus and was caught after a high-speed chase by police who fired shots at the vehicle and seriously injured the driver.

The hit-and-run occurred at a crowded bus stop south of Tel Aviv. Many of the casualties were soldiers.

Several bodies covered by blankets lay by the roadside, as paramedics led away dazed survivors. Shoes, jackets and personal belongings were strewn across the road.

Police Commissioner Shlomo Ahronishki said he was "absolutely certain" that the hit-and-run was a terror attack.

Paramedics said at least 10 people were injured, including six who were in moderate or serious condition.

The bus, owned by the Israeli company Egged, had transported Palestinian workers from the Gaza Strip to Israel.

Witnesses said the bus ran into the soldiers as they stood at a bus stop in south Tel Aviv. The bus then raced southwards, towards the city of Ashdod, but about 10 miles to the south police opened fire on the bus, which crashed into the back of a truck and stopped, witnesses said.

Egged bus company spokesman Ron Rattner said the driver was a Palestinian who had clearance from security services to drive Palestinian workers into Israel.