Eleven people were killed in a blast on the St. Petersburg metro on Monday, the Russian health ministry said, in what authorities described as a terrorist attack.
An explosion tore through a train as it was traveling between two stations in Russia’s second-biggest city, injuring dozens more.
A second device was found and defused at another station, Russia’s Anti-terrorist Committee said. No group has so far claimed responsibility for the attack, which led to the shutdown of the entire metro system in St. Petersburg.
The blast happened as the train was traveling in a tunnel from Sennaya Ploshchad to Tekhnologichesky Institute stations in the center of the city. In the confusion, first reports suggested there were two blasts.
Photographs show the facade of one of the cars ripped off, while others showed passengers running from the Tekhnologichesky Institute station as it filled with smoke. Victims said they helped each other escape the train.
Bodies were seen strewn across a station platform outside the train. Bandaged and bloodied victims were carried out of the station by rescuers.
President Vladimir Putin, who had been in St Petersburg earlier in the day, said all causes were being investigated, including terrorism.
Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev described the explosion as a “terrorist act.”
Investigation underway
A spokesman for the National Anti-terrorism Committee said that the blast was caused by an unidentified explosive device in one of the train’s cars.( CNN / IM )
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