A suicide bombing attack killed some 43 people and wounded 45 others near a military school in eastern Algeria on Tuesday, the Interior Ministry said.

A truck transporting the wreckage of a car moves past a damaged house at the site of a suicide bomb attack in Issers, 55 km (34 miles) east of Algiers, August 19, 2008. A bomb attack east of Algiers killed 43 people and wounded 45 on Tuesday. (Xinhua/Reuters Photo)

The ministry said in a statement that the blast, occurred at around 7 am local time (0600 GMT), targeted a paramilitary gendarmerie training school at Issers in Bumerdes province, 55 km east of the capital, leaving some 43 people killed and 45 injured.

According to the statement, carried by the official APS news agency, 42 civilians and one police official were among the dead, while 32 civilians and 13 gendarmes were among the wounded.

Local witnesses noted that the suicide bomb attack occurred when the suicide bomber rammed his car into a group of prospective recruits lining up to get into the school for qualifying exams.

The blast damaged the facades of several houses and other buildings near the school, and hit vehicles on nearby roads, according to the witnesses and local media reports.

Algeria has suffered regular attacks blamed on Islamist militants linked to al-Qaida's north African wing, which has claimed several attacks, including a suicide bomb at a beach resort on Aug. 10 with the death toll of eight people.

In December 2007, the twin suicide bombings of UN offices and a court building in Algiers also killed some 41 people.