Explosion in St. Petersburg Metro, Fatalities Confirmed
A suspected bomb blast inside a car of the St. Petersburg Metro system has resulted in casualties among passengers. The entire transit system is shut down as bomb squads and rescuers respond to the emergency. The explosion happened as the train was travelling between the stations Tekhnologichesky Institut and Sennaya Ploshchad of the St. Petersburg Metro, the National Antiterrorism Committee confirmed.
Images posted on social media show bodies lying next to the damaged car, with blood apparently spilt on a bench.
В метро Санкт-Петербурга произошел взрыв, есть пострадавшие https://t.co/fTmg6R42oN pic.twitter.com/OX80VXcqFk
— сторожевая башня (@cnn_russian) April 3, 2017
The St. Petersburg governor’s office said there were as many as 50 victims in the incident, including 10 fatalities. Two of the injured have been taken for surgery while two others are being prepared for operation. The city healthcare committee said 25 people have been brought to hospital in the wake of the blast, including one child.
Всё, что известно о теракте в Петербурге на сейчас: жертвы, версии и комментарий Путинаhttps://t.co/7vDLh99zeU pic.twitter.com/MS3kdKdbL8
— Лентач (@the_lentach) April 3, 2017
Russian President Vladimir Putin commented that “The causes of this event have not been determined yet, so it’s too early to talk about [possible causes]. The investigation will show. Certainly, we will consider all possibilities: common, criminal, but first of all of a terrorist nature.”
В Питере взрыв в метро pic.twitter.com/HZvq7tqwXd
— Philipp Kireev (@mynameisphiIipp) April 3, 2017
All Metro stations are closed to passengers. Commuters were evacuated from the subway within about an hour of the first reports of the blast coming in.
Security has been increased in St. Petersburg over concerns of a potential follow-up attack, the National Antiterrorism Committee said. It also rejected media reports, which claimed that more than one explosion occurred, saying no evidence supporting this was found.
Facebook has activated its Safety Check feature for users in St Petersburg. It allows people to let friends and family know that they are OK during a disaster or dangerous situation.
Станция метро Сенная площадь сейчасhttps://t.co/YyDxxsMJDa pic.twitter.com/of5yqwvr12
— Открытая Россия (@openrussia_org) April 3, 2017
A St. Petersburg resident told RT that he “was going to Mayakovskaya station [not far from Sennaya Square, the station that was hit] when the alarm went on and the security guards started to block all the entrances. They just told people to get away from the area and suggested not using the Metro today.”
According to the resident, who identified himself as Alex, “there was a bit of panic in the eyes of the people,” both passengers and subway staff alike. “As there was an announcement that all the stations will be closed due to technical reasons,” people understood that something was wrong and rushed to the exits, he said.
Alex also recalled that he saw ambulances and police cars arriving at the station.
