I saw three dead and what looked like the remains of the suicide bomber. It was just a lump of something

Michael Perry, witness

Nir Ledani, aged 20, was with friends in the popular cafe district in the heart of the city when the two bombers detonated their explosives.

"I heard the sound of a fuse. Then I heard a boom... I saw a huge orange flash," he said later.

Dead and injured littered the street

The bombs were packed with nails and Mr Ledani was himself injured, with a fragment of metal and a nail embedded in his shoulder.

A woman called Ilana said that one of the bombers wore a red shirt and jeans.

"He stood and just blew himself up," she said.

'There were lots of limbs and dead'

Witnesses described how the force of the explosions catapulted bodies into the air.

I saw people without arms. I saw a person with their stomach hanging open. I saw a 10-year-old boy breathe his last breath

Yosshi Mizrahi, Witness

"A lot of people were crying, falling and there was the smell of burning hair," said Eli Shetreet, aged 19.

"People flew into the air and there were many people covered in blood," said a young woman called Liron.

The dead and injured littered the ground.

"There were lots of limbs and dead. I saw three dead and what looked like the remains of the suicide bomber. It was just a lump of something," said Michael Perry.

Another witness at the scene, Yosshi Mizrahi, described watching people die. "I saw people without arms. I saw a person with their stomach hanging open. I saw a 10-year-old boy breathe his last breath."

Minutes later a car bomb exploded nearby, sending a huge column of smoke and flames into the air.

Running to help

Eliashev Cohen, aged 17, was rushing to the scene of the first bombings to help when he was caught in the car blast.

Minutes later a car bomb exploded

"On the way I bought lots of bottles of mineral water to (give to people) and calm them down," he said. Then came the car bomb "and some of the engine or some other car parts came flying at me and hit me on the head."

"I remember it was black. I collapsed and that is the last thing I remember until I woke up in hospital," he added.

The car had been blocking the street to the scene of the first attack and people had been attempting to move it to clear the way for the emergency services when it went off.

After the explosions cafe doors were closed and stunned clients and staff huddled inside in shock, too frightened to step outside.

The BBC's Richard Engels was quickly on the scene and he described crowds of distraught people in tears. "People are crying, other people are coming up to them, hugging them and comforting them," he reported.