http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/4365039.stm
atari theatre hit by explosion A blast in a theatre opposite a British school in the Gulf state of Qatar has caused a number of casualties, UK diplomats have said. The explosion happened at the theatre outside the capital, Doha, where Shakespeare's Twelfth Night was being performed, the diplomats said. At least 50 people, plus the cast, are believed to have been in the theatre at the time of the blast. The audience is thought to have been a mix of foreigners and Arabs. 'People in shock' More that 50 people were take to hospital after the incident, AP news agency reported, quoting a US official and hospital workers. The Doha authorities, however, have said six people were injured. "I saw people lying on the ground. I think they were in shock because of the explosion. They were mostly foreigners," a witness Ahmed Goudah told AP. Witnesses have said the blast may have been a gas explosion. Large portable gas canisters are often used to store gas for cooking in the Gulf. But BBC correspondent in Dubai, Julia Wheeler, says Western embassies put the threat from terrorism as high in Qatar, as al-Qaeda has publicly threatened to carry out attacks on Westerners living in the Arabian peninsula. Doha officials told the al-Jazeera television network that the explosion went off inside the theatre's restaurant. Al-Jazeera said "dozens of people, mainly foreigners, were attending the play," AFP reported. The station showed footage of firefighters trying to put out flames. The explosion is reported to have happened in the early evening local time, outside regular school hours. British embassy officials are on their way to the scene of the blast. E-mail this to a friend Printable version -- Cheers, Gabe Menezes. London, England
