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Explosion hits central Moscow - Subway during rush hour
not much on the wires yet, CNN (the bastards) giving feed from their euro branch 00:49zAn explosion rocked the Moscow metro on Friday, causing casualties, the Emergency Situation Ministry said. Clouds of smoke filled the tunnel near the Avtozavodskaya station and passengers were being evacuated, said Viktor Beltsov, spokesman for the Emergency Situations Ministry. He could not confirm that the cause or give any further details about the number of victims. He said that rescuers were already on the site. Interfax, citing emergency officials, said that the explosion occurred in the second wagon of a train after it left the Paveletskaya station near the center of the Russian capital and headed southeast to Avtozavodskaya station. A fire raged in the wagon, which was badly damaged. Numerous ambulances were seen outside both metro stations, which police immediately barricaded. The Russian capital has been on alert for terrorist attacks following a series of suicide bombings that officials have blamed on Chechen rebels. In December, a female suicide bomber blew herself up outside the National Hotel across from Moscowâs Red Square on Tuesday, killing at least five others. Two suicide bombers blew themselves up at a Moscow rock concert in July, killing themselves and 14 other people. That was followed five days later by an aborted suicide bomb attack at a central Moscow restaurant that killed the sapper trying to defuse the bomb. The suicide bomber was arrested and is currently awaiting trial. In August 2000, a bomb exploded at a crowded pedestrian underpass filled with kiosks at Pushkin Square, a popular meeting place located near a metro line. The attack was initially blamed on Chechen rebels, but some police later said that a turf battle between rival businessmen or criminal gangs could have been the motive. Posted by: 4thInfVet 2004-02-06 |
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