Earlier this morning commuters on the Moscow Metro system were hit by blasts at two stations: Lubyanka and Park Kultury. According to an Izvestiia report, 23 bodies have been found at Lubyanka and 12 at Park Kultury, whereas Novaia gazeta puts the total death toll at 37. These figures are likely to rise, for there are also many wounded. Amidst the chaos created by this act of terror, the true scale of this tragedy will not be known for some time to come.
Eyewitnesses report the explosions as occurring when the trains came to a halt in their respective stations and passengers began to disembark. Novaia gazeta notes that the explosions seemed to have been linked to either the opening or closing of the doors, so this may have been the trigger mechanism for the devices. However, the English-language version of Pravda reports that two female suicide bombers were responsible. Neither Novaia gazeta nor Izvestiia have speculated at this stage as to the likely perpetrators of this act, but it bears all the marks of an Islamist attack. Only in November last year was the Moscow-St Petersburg Nevskii Express targeted by Islamist bombers causing a number of fatalities, so suspicion is likely to once again fall upon Chechen terrorists, who have over the years carried out many atrocities in Russia.
A Sky News report can be accessed below.
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