Seven policemen were injured, three of them critically, when a bomb exploded in a terror attack in Bahrain’s Eker village late last night (April 9).

The policemen, who were patrolling in East Eker, emerged from their vehicle to clear the road, which was blocked by a palm tree and garbage bins, when the blast took place.

Sources told the our sister publication the Gulf Daily News (GDN) that as soon as three policemen tried to lift and remove the tree, a powerful explosion took place.

They fell back under the impact of the blast, while others a few meters behind, were also hurt. The seven were taken to hospital where three of the injured were reported to be in critical condition.

Sources said they had to undergo emergency surgery. The others were reported to be out of danger.

Following the explosion which took place around 7.17pm, policemen surrounded the village and began a search for culprits. Sources said there was no power inside the village and the whole area presented a deserted look.

Public Security chief Major-General Tareq Al Hassan confirmed on the Interior Ministry's official Twitter account that three policemen had been injured critically.

He said a hunt was ongoing to identify and arrest those responsible.

He said the bomb targeted policemen who were on duty at the entrance of the village that is witnessing daily rioting and vandalism.

He said initial information indicated that it was a home-made bomb connected with petrol.

A GDN photographer who went at the scene said the tree had been blown to smithereens and trees in the vicinity were also damaged. Sources told the GDN another device, reportedly a bomb, failed to explode. – TradeArabia News Service