KavkazCenter - Bomb blast on Russian railway, authorities declare 'act of terrorism'

Bomb blast on Russian railway, authorities declare 'act of terrorism'

A bomb exploded on the tracks beneath a railway technician's engine in St. Petersburg on Tuesday, slightly injuring its operator, Russian authorities said.

No carriages were attached to the engine, which was used to check and repair lineside equipment. But the blast will fuel fears of attacks on Russia's railways two months after a bomb killed 26 passengers on a elite train from Moscow to St. Petersburg.

"We consider it a terrorist act, that's the main theory," Interfax news agency quoted Anatoly Kvashnin, head of a regional investigative department for transport systems, as saying of Tuesday's explosion. There was no word on possible suspects.

The federal Investigative Committee said the bomb exploded with the force of 200 grammes of TNT at most, and left a metre-wide crater on the railbed but did not damage the engine.

The blast occurred before dawn near St. Petersburg's Baltic Station, on a line to Belarus, rail monopoly Russian Railways said. It said the engine operator suffered a leg injury.

In November, a bomb exploded on tracks between Russia's largest cities. Islamic rebels from North Caucasus claimed responsibility for the attack on the Nevsky Express and vowed further acts of sabotage. No major attacks followed.

Traffic was halted on Tuesday on part of the line near the blast site, Russian Railways said.

Source: Agencies

Kavkaz Center