A huge explosion ripped through a vehicle manned by Spanish U.N. peacekeepers in the southern Lebanese village of Khiyam Sunday afternoon, killing five soldiers and wounding four others, witnesses reported.
They said the huge explosion set fire in the peacekeepers' vehicle which was moving on the main road just off Khiyam, A Nahar website reported. The blast was caused by a car bomb, "most likely" driven by a suicide bomber, a police source said.
"This is not a mine. The vehicle was moving on a road that was cleared of mines and unexploded shells nearly 10 months ago," said an official in south Lebanon. The source said a mangled car was found at the scene with human remains inside. Security sources had said earlier the blast was caused by a roadside bomb detonated by remote control.
Spain's defense minister said two Spanish and three Colombian peacekeepers, all serving in the Spanish army, had been killed in the incident. Earlier Lebanese security sources had said five Spaniards died.
© 2007 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)
