Jerusalem: Two suicide bombers blew themselves up in a twin attack, killing at least 19 people and injuring over 100, on January 5 evening at the Old Central bus station in Tel Aviv, police and Israeli media said.

The blast took place at around 22:00 hrs (IST) at the corner of Gdud Haivri and Neve Shenan streets, police said.

Most of the casualties were in a restaurant called "McChina". Many of the wounded were foreign workers, television reports said.

Unconfirmed reports said the toll could be higher.

The condition of many of the injured is said to be serious, hospital sources said.

The bodies of the two suicide bombers were destroyed by the powerful explosives they were carrying, reports said.

The latest attack comes three weeks ahead of the general elections in Israel.

No group has claimed responsibility for the attack, but observers said the radical Islamic Jihad could be behind the bombing.

Meanwhile, US President George W Bush condemned the double suicide bombing as a "brutal act of terror," the White House said.

Bush "condemns the brutal act of terror in the strongest possible terms", a White House spokesman said.

"There are those who want to derail the peace process, but (the President) will not be deterred," the spokesman said.

PTI