Police blame terrorists for fatal bus blast

The bodies of two young women killed in a bus explosion in Russia's Stavropol region on Sunday have been identified. Others injured in the blast remain in hospital. Police say terrorists were behind the attack and are circulating a photofit of a possible

Most of the passengers had left the bus just before the blast. The two who remained on board were killed. They've been named as 17-year-old Elena Tarasova and 22-year-old Susanna Gazoryan.  

The coach was carrying about 36 passengers from Pyatigorsk to Stavropol before a blast ripped through it during a rest stop at a bus station in the town of Nevinnomyssk.  

Meanwhile, security measures have been tightened.

Investigators are still working at the scene to collect evidence.

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.

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.