A bomb on a bus in the Russian car-making city of Togliatti killed at least eight people and injured 50 on Wednesday in what authorities called a terrorist attack.
The blast, which came as people travelled to work in the early-morning rush hour, was probably caused by a bomb hidden under the floor of the bus, local police sources were quoted by Russian news agencies as saying.
”We have reached the conclusion that this was an act of terrorism,” Samara region Governor Vladimir Artyakov said in comments broadcast by Russia’s Vesti-24 news channel. ”We are clarifying what type of explosive device was used and we are also clarifying the possibility that there could be more victims.”
Russian officials tend to use the term ”terrorism” broadly to describe almost any deliberate attack that causes heavy casualties. An unidentified source quoted by Interfax news agency said Islamic extremists or local organised crime groups could be behind the blast.
In one picture taken by an emergency worker, the body of a woman could be seen still sitting upright inside the bus. Windows in nearby buildings were blown out by the blast.
Other pictures showed the bloody remains of victims, with clothes ripped from bodies — face down in the debris — and limbs hanging through blown-out windows of the devastated bus.
Apart from workers, the passengers on the bus included students travelling to a local university. Police said the blast was caused by about 2kg of explosives.
”Eight people are dead, 50 are injured, with 10 rescue groups involved. The first arrived within five minutes of the explosion and more soon after,” said Vladimir Markhin, the Togliatti representative of the Russian investigation committee.
Prosecutors have also opened criminal cases for murder and the illegal storage of explosives, Russian media reported, with fears the death toll could rise further.
Bus bomb
Togliatti, an industrial city on the banks of the Volga river, is more than 1 000km south-east of Moscow and home to the country’s biggest carmaker, AvtoVaz, and is sometimes called Russia’s Detroit. The city is named after the late Italian communist leader Palmiro Togliatti.
Russian President Vladimir Putin phoned his envoy to the Volga region and ordered that ”every possible measure to give medical assistance to those injured and to help the families of those killed” should be provided, Interfax said.
”All possible theories are being considered,” a source was quoted as saying by Interfax, adding that these included the possible involvement of Islamic militants. ”It is not ruled out that the explosion was the result of some inter-gang dispute in the town, where organised criminal groups have a strong influence,” the source said.
Organised crime groups, many of them involved in the trade in car parts, fight regular turf wars and gangland killings are common.
Explosive devices without shrapnel, like the one Russian media said may have caused the bus explosion, are frequently used to settle scores in business feuds. — Reuters