Damascus bus explosion kills three people

The bus was ripped open by the blast

Three people have died in an explosion at a petrol station in the Syrian capital Damascus, officials say.

Syrian Interior Minister Said Sammour said the tyre of a crowded bus had exploded as it was being pumped.

Footage showed the bus badly damaged by what looked like fire. It was carrying Iranian pilgrims visiting the Sayyida Zeinab shrine for Shia Muslims.

Last year a car bomb killed 17 people on a road leading to the shrine. The bombing was blamed on Sunni militant.

But Mr Sammour ruled out an attack after Thursday's explosion, which injured many people.

'Confusion'

He says the bus driver and two petrol station workers died when the tyre blew up as air was being pumped into it.

The BBC's correspondent in Damascus, Lina Sinjab, says there is a sense of confusion in the city behind the official statement.

This is because images of the blast and several witnesses have suggested that it may have been more than just a tyre explosion.

Initial reports had suggested that a bomb may have caused the blast.

Interior Minister Said Sammour ruled out a terror attack

In a country with tight security control, bomb explosions are very rare, our correspondent says.

Witnesses and media reports had earlier said six people had been killed.

Mr Sammour told state-run Syrian TV the bus was carrying Iranian tourists and passengers.

He said there were no pilgrims nearby when the blast happened.

The al-Sayyida Zeinab shrine, popular with Iranian pilgrims, is dedicated to the granddaughter of the Prophet Muhammad.