st petersburg blast
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A suspected IED explosion inside a car of the St. Petersburg Metro system has resulted in casualties among passengers, according to the transit system's management. An evacuation is underway and some stations have been closed for entry.

Preliminary reports indicate that some 10 people may have been killed and 20 injured in the blast, news agencies said citing sources close to the investigation.

The incident reportedly happened at the Sennaya station of the northwestern Russian city's underground transit system.


The local rescue services told TASS they were responding to the report of the smoke, but could not provide any details. At least eight stations of the metro have been closed for passengers.


Some of the images show several bodies lying next to the damaged car, with blood apparently spilt on a bench. RIA Novosti said evacuation of people from the affected area was underway.

The metro management said they received reports of an explosion inside the car, possibly of an improvised explosive device. Photos taken near the Sennaya Ploshchad station entry showed firefighter vehicles involved in responding to the emergency.


RT Updates:

The explosion happened as the train was travelling between the stations Tekhnologichesky Institut and Sennaya Ploshchad of the St. Petersburg Metro, the National Antiterrorism Committee (NAC) confirmed.

Health Minister Veronika Skvortsova said there were 47 victims of the blast and gave the number of fatalities as 10. She said six people treated in St. Petersburg hospitals for injuries sustained in the incident remain in a critical condition.

Russian President Vladimir Putin commented that "The causes of this event have not been determined yet, so it's too early to talk about [possible causes]. The investigation will show. Certainly, we will consider all possibilities: common, criminal, but first of all of a terrorist nature."


An undetonated improvised explosive device (IED) was discovered by investigators at the Ploshchad Vosstaniya Station and defused by specialists, the NAC reported. It rejected media reports, which claimed that more than one explosion occurred, saying no evidence supporting this was found.


Comment: Here's how the Telegraph reported on this:
The second explosion is reported to have happened at around 2.40pm (12.40pm BST) on the blue branch of the St. Petersburg metro at the station "Sadovaya". A device reportedly exploded in the carriage.
No source given.


Alleged photos of the IED surfaced on social media. They show a medium-sized leather bag, which apparently held a container filled with explosives, with ball bearings wrapped around it.

A St. Petersburg resident told RT that he "was going to Mayakovskaya station [not far from Sennaya Square, the station that was hit] when the alarm went on and the security guards started to block all the entrances. They just told people to get away from the area and suggested not using the Metro today."

According to the resident, who identified himself as Alex, "there was a bit of panic in the eyes of the people," both passengers and subway staff alike.