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Explosion
in Israeli Hotel in Kenya, Missiles Fired at Israeli Plane
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The Paradise Hotel in Mombasa,
Kenya |
NAIROBI,
November 28 (IslamOnline & News Agencies) - A car-bomb ripped
through a resort hotel packed with more than 130 guests including many
Israelis near the Kenyan coastal city of Mombasa leaving at least
eight dead, officials and a journalist at the scene said.
Almost
simultaneously, an Israeli plane from the Arkia airline company with
261 passengers on board narrowly escaped being hit by a missile as it
took off from Mombasa, an airline spokesman said in Jerusalem.
The
explosion ripped through the Mombasa Paradise Hotel, located some 25
kilometers (16 miles) outside the city, just as a group of Israeli
tourists were checking in after arriving on the Arkya flight, Agence
France-Presse (AFP) reported.
Although
a Israeli foreign ministry source told Israeli television that three
Israelis, including two children, were killed when in the explosion,
Qatar-based Al Jazeera satellite channel said that there were as of
yet unconfirmed reports that 13 Israelis were killed in the blast.
“At
least one Israeli is dead and several others are injured,” said
Kaunya Oku, the district commissioner of Kilifi district.
A
journalist at the scene said he counted eight bodies.
“I
can count eight dead bodies, seven Africans and one Israeli,” the
journalist told AFP from Mombasa by telephone.
A
doctor among the tourists who gave victims first aid told Israeli
television that 15 Israelis were injured, most of them cut by flying
glass.
The
Kenyan journalist said that a four-wheel drive vehicle carrying three
people tried to force its way into the Mombasa Paradise Hotel when it
exploded at around 8:25 am (0525 GMT).
“The
building is on fire and we have sought assistance from the Kenyan
navy,” said Peter Okwanyo.
“We
have evacuated people from the hotel, including the injured,” said
Oku.
In
Jerusalem, an Arkia airline spokesman said the plane was on route back
to Tel Aviv after having narrowly escaped the missile attack.
“An
Arkia plane was targeted by a missile Thursday morning but was not hit
by it. There were 261 passengers on board, and the plane, which had
just taken off from Mombasa was not forced to land and is currently
flying back to Tel Aviv,” the spokeswoman said.
The
Israeli airline El Al cancelled all incoming international flights
until further notice, Israeli radio reported.
An
Israeli foreign ministry spokesman told Israeli television that the
hotel was Israeli-owned and that some 140 Israelis had just arrived
after stepping off the Arkya flight.
The
plane had initially prepared for an emergency landing in Nairobi, but
then decided to continue to Israel, Israeli daily Hare'etz said.
The aircraft belonged to the Arkia charter company. A company
official, Shlomo Hanael said the pilot saw flashes of light. None of
140 passengers aboard the plane were hurt.
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