Tel Aviv suicide bomb wounds dozens.(Knight Ridder Newspapers)

TEL AVIV, Israel _ A suicide bomber blew himself up in the middle of a crowd waiting to enter a discotheque in Tel Aviv late Friday, killing at least 16 other people and wounding at least 85 more, many of them seriously.

"This is one of the worst I've ever seen in 15 years because of the time, the place and the number of casualties," Tel Aviv Police Chief Yossi Sedbon told Knight Ridder at the scene Friday night. "We do not expect that someone would come and explode himself in front of a nightclub."

Setbon warned that the death toll probably would increase.

The attack is likely to increase the pressure on the Bush administration to become more actively engaged in trying to halt the violence and prod the Israelis and Palestinians back to peace negotiations. The administration succeeded in convincing both sides to resume security talks earlier this week, and senior officials are now debating what to do next.

After the attack, bodies lay in pools of blood, draped with green and white plastic body bags as authorities rushed to remove the dead and treat the injured. Scores of the wounded, many soaked in blood, lay sprawled along the streets of the beachfront area, known for its lively cafes and nightclubs. The windows of several cars were blown out by the blast, and glass and debris littered the sidewalks.

The area is especially crowded with partying teenagers on the weekend. The bomber, who was not identified, managed to sneak into a long line of young people trying to get into the Pascha disco at about 11:30 p.m., authorities said.

"I saw people fly through the air," a witness told Israel Radio. "There were lots of wounded."