MANAMA, March 24 (IslamOnline.net & News Agencies) - A strong blast occurred Monday night, March 24, 2003 in Bahrain near the U.S. Jufair military base which serves as headquarters of the Navy's Fifth Fleet.

The explosion that was heard at around 1900 GMT shook residences near the base but it was not immediately possible to determine if the blast came from inside or outside the base, according to Agence France-Presse (AFP).

The blast occurred outside a compound housing Americans across the street from the base, about 100 meters (yards) away. Windows were broken in several villas inside the compound, the Washington Post reported.

It is worth noting that some 4,000 U.S. military personnel are attached to the military base.

The explosion was caused by a cooking-gas cylinder that was put in a litter bin, an Information Ministry official said.

But security officials at the scene said it may have been a bomb. They were all speaking on condition of anonymity, AFP reported.

According to Bahraini officials, the device that exploded outside the U.S. Navy 5th Fleet base in Bahrain caused no injuries or serious damage.