JERUSALEM, March 14 (Xinhuanet) -- At least nine people were killed and another 19 injured during a double suicide bombing in the Israeli seaport of Ashdod on Sunday, an Israeli official told Xinhua.

    The blasts which took place just before 5 p.m. (1500 GMT) at the port, about 66 km west of Jerusalem, were apparently caused by two suicide bombers, the official said.

    According to witnesses, one of the bombers blew himself up outside the main gate to the port, and the other one managed to enter the facility and detonated his bomb shortly after in a centrally-located workshop inside the port.

    Israel Air Force helicopters landed at the port in order to help evacuate the wounded.

    Eight teams of firefighters have reached the scene, as did a number of police officers and rescue workers.

    Ashdod mayor told Israel Radio that the blasts were most probably caused by two suicide bombers. The radio initially reported that the blast was caused by an accidental explosion of a gas container.

    Ashdod, located on the Mediterranean coast in the southern part of Israel, not far from the Gaza Strip, is tightly guarded by Israeli military forces and fences. Enditem ¡¡