icon bookmark-bicon bookmarkicon cameraicon checkicon chevron downicon chevron lefticon chevron righticon chevron upicon closeicon v-compressicon downloadicon editicon v-expandicon fbicon fileicon filtericon flag ruicon full chevron downicon full chevron lefticon full chevron righticon full chevron upicon gpicon insicon mailicon moveicon-musicicon mutedicon nomutedicon okicon v-pauseicon v-playicon searchicon shareicon sign inicon sign upicon stepbackicon stepforicon swipe downicon tagicon tagsicon tgicon trashicon twicon vkicon yticon wticon fm
10 Dec, 2007 07:25

Police blame terrorists for fatal bus blast

Police believe a bus explosion that killed two people and injured up to eleven others in Russia's Stavropol region on Sunday was an act of terrorism. The blast ripped through the coach during a rest stop at a bus station in the town of Nevinnomyssk.

The bus was en route from Pyatigorsk to Stavropol carrying about 36 people.  Most of them had left the bus just before the blast. The two who were killed – both women – remained on board.  Some of the wounded remain in a critical condition.

Deputy head of Stavropol Police, Viktor Barnash, said the bomb was left in the back of the bus.

“In fact, we believe it was placed on the last seat that drivers use for sleeping when off duty,” Barnash said.

Police say the attack was the work of terrorists. The explosive charge was equivalent to 150 grammes of TNT and was packed with shrapnel to cause maximum damage.

Doctor Vadim Belaikin said his hospital treated seven injured people.

“Two of them were in a satisfactory condition and left the clinic after getting first aid; three others were put into the trauma unit, also in a satisfactory condition; and two more are in the intensive care unit,” Belaikin said.

Local authorities say they plan to bring in new security and safety measures on passenger buses in and out of the region.

This is the third bus explosion in Russia in the last six weeks.

In November, a nail bomb on a coach killed five passengers and injured 13 more in the neighbouring republic of North Ossetia.

And in October a bomb exploded on a bus in the city of Togliatti in central Russia, killing eight people. Seventy others were injured.

All the incidents are being treated as terrorist attacks.

Podcasts
0:00
23:13
0:00
25:0