Moscow metro suicide bombing kills 40
Chechen rebel suspected, death toll may rise
Reuters, Moscow
An explosion, apparently caused by a suicide bomber, tore through a packed underground train in Moscow in morning rush-hour yesterday, killing up to 40 people. "From what we have found so far we can say about 30 people have been killed and about 100 injured," an emergency ministry spokeswoman told Reuters. Interfax news agency, quoting ambulance sources, said the death toll had reached 40 and other sources said it could be even higher. Rescued travelers said the explosion blew out carriage windows and started a fire. One woman said survivors walked about a mile along the tracks to safety. Police and state security officials said the explosion was likely caused by a suicide bomber on board the train, crammed with morning commuters. Interfax quoted investigators as saying first information indicated a woman suicide bomber was behind the attack. Suicide bomb attacks in Moscow and elsewhere in Russia have been the trademark of Chechen separatist rebels fighting Russian forces for independence in their Muslim Caucasus homeland. If confirmed, it would be the worst such attack by Chechen suicide bombers in Moscow since July 2003 when two women blew themselves up at an open-air music festival at the Tushino airfield, killing 14 other people. The incident took place just six weeks before a March 14 election for president in which the incumbent Vladimir Putin is widely expected to win a second Kremlin term easily. The explosion occurred at 8:30 a.m. as the train bringing people into the city traveled along a tunnel toward Moscow's busy Paveletskaya station. The elaborately decorated Stalin-era underground system, the pride of Muscovites for its clean marble tunnels and brisk efficiency, is also one of the world's deepest. Pictures of the inside of the devastated carriage showed bodies lying among twisted metal and shredded seats. Dozens of ambulances and fire engines converged on Moscow's Paveletskaya Square, teeming with morning commuters, and evacuated altogether 700 people from underground. Many of those rushed to hospital were suffering from broken bones and burns. Moscow underground trains are always packed especially in winter months when people avoid driving because of snow-clogged roads. Trains can often be carrying up to 1,000 people. Up to two million people commute into Moscow every morning for work. Officials said security had been tightened at all main train stations and airports in and around the capital.
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