Former PM Hariri dies in Beirut blast

Monday 14 February 2005, 15:13 Makka Time, 12:13 GMT
http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/1C00C5D5-80DD-4550-A801-DD991E0DB8E1.htm

A car bomb has killed at least six people, including the former Lebanese prime
minister Rafiq Hariri, on Beirut's seafront, police say.

Witnesses and a politician said the explosion on Monday was apparently targeting
Hariri, whose motorcade passed the area shortly before the explosion.

Among the dead were Hariri's bodyguards. Twelve other people were wounded.

A large cloud of smoke rose into the sky from an area near the five-star Saint
George's hotel and the Phonecia hotel in the Lebanese capital's downtown area.

Newtvsat, a local television station, showed several cars burning in the streets
and widespread damage.

TV footage also showed smouldering bodies. Passersby were seen trying to rescue
victims of the blast, covering them with jackets to put out the flames.

No one has yet to claim responsibility for the explosion.

The destruction, reminiscent of horrific scenes from Lebanon's
1975-1990 civil war, caused terror in a wide area near the
two prestigious hotels in a busy part of Beirut.
Agencies


Car Bomb Explodes in Lebanese Capital
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/02/14/international/14cnd-beirut.html?ex=1266123600&\
en=2bfb41518b3df24d&ei=5090&partner=rssuserland
By ASSOCIATED PRESS

Published: February 14, 2005


A strong explosion, believed to be a car bomb, shook Beirut Monday in a
commercial area where popular hotels are located, killing at least six people,
according to witnesses.

Witnesses and a politician said the explosion was apparently targeting former
Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, whose motorcade passed the area shortly beforehand.

TV footage from the scene showed the devastated front of a building and flames
leaping from several cars. A burning person struggled to get out of a car via
the
window, fell on the ground and was helped by a bystander who used his jacket to
put out the flames.

Explosions in Beirut -- while common during the 1975-90 civil war -- have become
rare since the conflict ended. However, in October, amid rising tension between
the opposition and the government, a car bomb seriously injured an opposition
politician and killed his driver in Beirut.

The blast severely damaged at least one large building, the facade of which was
blown off, covering cars, sidewalks and the street with rubble.

Heavily armed security forces cordoned off the area with yellow tape as rescue
workers and investigators combed the scene apparently looking for casualties or
clues to what caused the huge explosion.

The explosion near the city's waterfront shortly before noon shook buildings in
the city center and was heard in outlying hills overlooking the Lebanese
capital.

Rubble and twisted debris covered a road lined with burning cars, the smoke from
which enveloping the area as firefighters carrying houses raced to douse flames.
A man and a woman were seen walking in separate locations with blood running
down
their faces.



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