A large blast damaged the main electricity distribution center in Algiers late Monday, leaving 11 people wounded, according to officials. Witnesses said Algerian special forces were at the scene of the explosion.
The explosion took place a day after Algeria said a "terror" leader who allied himself with Al Qaeda's bin Laden had been killed in a military sweep.
The officials said the cause of the explosion was not immediately clear, but a resident, who requested anonymity, said, "It's pretty clear this was a car bomb. Just look at that burned out car."
"A technical investigation will allow us to determine the cause of the explosion," said Interior Minister Noureddine Yazid Zerhouni, cited by Reuters, and added that four of the 11 injured were in serious condition.
In a press statement, Zerhouni said the blast at the Hamma power station was "apparently accidental" but it was "up to the inquiry to determine the exact circumstances of the explosion."
He added, "Fortunately, the main installations were not hit."
Nourredine Bouterfa, president and managing director of the state electricity and gas company Sonelgaz, said that "the network remains interconnected and only an auxiliary network was slightly damaged."
The Hamma power station, just outside Algiers, feeds other power plants in the country. It was inaugurated in 2002 by President Abdelaziz Bouteflika. (Albawaba.com)
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