Passenger bus explodes in Russia, killing at least 8

A bomb blew up in a passenger bus Wednesday morning in the city of Togliatti, the Samara region of Russia. The city is reputed to be the center of the Russian automobile industry. At least eight people were killed in the bus explosion, many others were injured.

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The cause of the explosion was not immediately clear, spokesman Viktor Beltsov said. Russian news agencies reported that it appeared to be a bomb.

Russian news agencies reported that in addition to the dead, 20 people were hospitalized and another 20 sought medical attention.

Andrei Derbenev, a spokesman for the local rescue service, told the ITAR-Tass agency that the blast was so powerful that windows on nearby residential buildings shattered.

The explosion occurred at a busy intersection near a bus stop as people were going to work, according to reports.

It was later reported that the explosion was caused with an explosive device the power of which was equivalent to one kilo of TNT. The bomb may have been fixed on the bottom of the bus.

A source from the law-enforcement authorities of the Samara region told Interfax that the explosion occurred as a result of the terrorist act. It was first said that the blast took place as a result of an explosion of a gas container in the bus. However, it became known later that there was no such container in it.

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Author`s name Angela Antonova
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