Prosecutors in Rome are investigating a bus explosion in the city’s historic centre, the 10th such blast in the Italian capital this year. Passengers and pedestrians were lucky to escape injury on Tuesday when the vehicle burst into flames on Via del Tritone, a busy high street close to the Spanish Steps and Trevi fountain. The explosion was reportedly caused by a short circuit, although panicked tourists initially suspected terrorism. Two shops were damaged by the blast.

“There was a loud roar and everyone started to flee like crazy when they didn’t understand what was happening,” reported Il Messaggero, whose head office is on Via Tritone. “We thought it was a bomb,” Japanese tourists told the newspaper.

The explosions are so frequent in Rome that residents have suggested public transport poses a greater threat to their safety than terrorism. There were 22 bus blasts last year and 14 in 2016, with no reported injuries.(theguardian)…[+]