Israeli emergency workers have spoken of treating injured pregnant women and seeing pools of blood at the scene of the bomb near Jerusalem’s central bus station today.

Yonatan Yogadovsky, director of the Magen David Adom (MDA) international department , said ambulances were on the scene immediately to tend to the wounded, estimated to include more than 30 civilians.

Mr Yogadovsky, who was director of MDA’s Jerusalem operation during both intifadas, said: “The streets were packed with people during the evening commute, as workers left for home and children finished school.

“There were two pregnant women injured and taken to the hospital by MDA.”

He added: “The people who were badly injured were outside near the explosive device and some people inside the number 74 bus [which was stopped when the bomb exploded] were lightly and moderately injured.”

Motti Bukchin, a volunteer for clean-up organisation ZAKA, said: “When we arrived at the site of the attack, we saw two women lying in huge pools of blood on the pavement.”

ZAKA chairman, Yehuda Meshi Zahav, added: “The sights, sounds and the smell took us back to the time of the terror attacks.”

After the shock of the blast, seven years after the last suicide bombing in the city, Mr Yogadovsky said the feeling on the streets of Jerusalem was one of anger.

He said: “There’s a lot of adrenalin in the air. It’s been a long time since we’ve had this kind of terror attack so there’s a lot of tension now, but the streets are open, even the area next to the explosion.”

He added: “Everything is nearly back to normal now and the traffic is getting through.

“Now we are concerned to get back to normal and to take care of the safety and recovery of patients and causalities.”