Train blast in Russia: 36 killed

A bomb was detonated in a commuter train traveling from Kislovodsk to Mineralnie Vodi on Friday morning. The explosion of an unidentified object killed 36 and wounded 155 people.

According to preliminary information, the explosion occurred within 400 meters of the central train station in Essentuki. Everything happened in an early hour when the train was crowded with commuters. The blast occurred in the second car of the train at 7:42 AM Moscow time. The precise location of the bomb has not been specified yet. It was either placed inside or under the second car of the train. The explosion was so strong that it practically tore the entire car apart. Dozens of people were buried under the train debris. Police, firefighters and medical emergency services arrived to the scene promptly. Emergency service workers struggled as they tried to uncover peoples’ bodies. Victims were were immediately transported to the nearest hospitals in Essentuki, Pyatigorsk and Kislovodsk.

According to RIA “Novosti” in Kremlin’s press center, President Vladimir Putin has been promptly informed of the incident. Deputy General Prosecutor of the Russian Federation Sergey Fridinsky has already departed to the Stavropol region.

Ministry of Emergency Situations reported that a special aircraft with a group of doctors from the All-Russian Center of Medicine will soon fly to the Stavropol region. The Ministry has already sent one aircraft with a rescue team as well as doctors from the emergency medical center “Zaschita”. The airplane is scheduled to take off at 11:30 AM from Ramensk airfield.

A special commission has been formed to investigate such terrible disaster. Experts cannot yet determine the way the terrorist act has been organized. However, they do not exclude a possibility of a suicide bombing, reported RIA “Novosti”. Seven people were killed in two blasts on the same train line in September of this year. About 90 were wounded, states RIA “Novosti”. A female suicide bomber caused the explosion in the commuter train Kislovodsk-Mineralnie Vodi, reports ITAR-TASS with a reference to the Ministry of Defense.

According to a different version, the bomb could have been planted under the train. Terrorists could easily activate it by means of radio. Experts consider the blast to be equivalent to 5 kilos in trinitrotoluol equivalent.