Chisinau, Moldova ? An explosion ripped apart a small bus Thursday in a separatist Moldovan region, killing eight people and injuring 46, state media said.

The blast in the Trans-Dniester capital Tiraspol blew the roof and sides off the bus, which had 12 passengers. Eight were killed and four badly injured, the private news agency Lenta PNR said.

Most of those injured were passers-by, and 10 were passengers on another bus who were hurt by the impact of the blast, Lenta PNR reported, citing Interior Ministry investigators. The windows of that bus were blown out.