Nine people have been left dead and over 50 people injured after two explosions occurred at subway stations in #Russia’s second largest city, St Petersburg. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
According to ABC News, the explosions happened Monday (April 3) at Sennaya Square and Technology Institute just a little before rush hour. Images and videos have surfaced across social media, showing one of the train cars in chaos as passengers fought to escape the station. Initially reports stated that 10 people were killed, but as of now the death toll has been dropped to nine.
Russian President Vladimir Putin was in St. Petersburg at the time of the explosion for a meeting with Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko. Putin commented on the horrific incident, sending condolences to the families of the victims. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
“The causes are not yet clear, and so it’s still early to talk about that, the investigation will show,” he said. “But, naturally, we always examine all versions, ordinary and criminal, above all incidents of a terrorist character.” ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
“People were bleeding, their hair burned,” a witness said to Russia’s Life News. “My girlfriend was in the next car that exploded. She said that he began to shake. When she came out, she saw that people were mutilated.” It has been confirmed that metro service in the city has been shut down in addition to the closings of Park Pobedy, Elektrosila, Moskovskie Vorota, Frunzenskaya, Sadovaya and Gostiny Dvor stations. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
CNN reports that according to a spokesperson from the National Anti-terrorist Committee, a device may have caused the explosion. “So far, we say it was an unidentified explosive device as investigators and the Federal Security Service’s bomb specialists are to establish the exact cause of this explosion,” Andrei Przhezdomsky said. Other sources report that fragments of a bomb were found at the station.
A second device was found near Revolutionary Square but was disarmed.
Our thoughts and prayers are with the victims and their families
