Suicide blast in Tunisian resort of Sousse

The blast in Sousse happened on a beach close to the Riadh Palms hotel

There has been a suicide bomb attack in the Tunisian Mediterranean resort town of Sousse on a beach in front of a hotel, officials say.

A hotel employee told the BBC that the blast occurred at 09:45 local time (08:45 GMT) and that no-one was hurt except for the bomber.

Meanwhile, security sources say police have foiled a separate plot to attack ex-President Habib Bourguiba's tomb.

Police captured the would-be suicide bomber before he blew himself up.

Mr Bourguiba led Tunisia after independence from France; he was deposed in 1987 and died 13 years ago.

Attack 'foiled'

The blast in Sousse happened close to the Riadh Palms hotel, a receptionist told the BBC's World Update programme.

The male attacker, wearing a belt of explosives, was killed, the Associated Press quoted Tunisia's Tap state news agency as saying.

Witnesses said the bomber was spotted and chased away from the hotel, blowing himself up on an empty beach, the AFP news agency reported.

Sousse is a tourist destination about 140km (87 miles) south of the capital, Tunis, on the Mediterranean coast.

The former president's tomb is in Monastir, a town about 20km further south along the coast from Sousse.

"An attempted attack targeting the compound of the Bourguiba mausoleum was foiled... and a young man carrying explosives was arrested," Interior Ministry spokesman Mohamed Ali Laroui told AFP.

Since the 2011 uprising, which unseated long-time President Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali, Tunisia has seen a rise in attacks by militants.