DATE=04/11/02

TYPE=CORRESPONDENT REPORT

NUMBER=2-288584

TITLE=TUNISIA/EXPLOSION (S-Only)

BYLINE=GREG LAMOTTE

DATELINE=CAIRO

CONTENT=

VOICED AT:

INTRO: In Tunisia, five people were killed and about 20 wounded in an explosion near an ancient synagogue on the southern island of Djerba Thursday. Government officials say the explosion was an accident. V-O-A's Greg LaMotte has more from our Middle East bureau in Cairo.

TEXT: Tunisia's government-run news agency says the driver of a truck filled with natural gas lost control of his vehicle, which slammed into a wall at the El Ghirba synagogue in Djerba. Officials say the driver was among those killed.

Authorities said the explosion was an accident.

Amid the escalating tensions in the Middle East, there have been attacks on synagogues in Europe, particularly in France.

The El Ghirba synagogue was built on the foundations of one of the oldest synagogues in Africa. Each May, thousands of Jews from around the world make a pilgrimage to the temple.

There are an estimated two-thousand Jews living in Djerba, which is a popular Tunisian tourist destination. One-third of the estimated five-million tourists who visited the North African country last year visited Djerba. (Signed)

NEB/GL/TW