06 February 2004, 11:37
Explosion strikes Moscow metro
A blast took place in a train of the Moscow metro between the Paveletskaya and Avtozavodskaya stations on February 6 at 08:40 Moscow time. The blast resulted in an extensive fire. There are casualties. The main version of the blast is a terrorist act, the public relations center of the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) reported.
Russian President Vladimir Putin immediately received information on the explosion, the presidential press service reported.
The blast, the reasons of which are being established, thundered in the second coach of the train that passed the Paveletskaya station. The first data were reported by the train team. Then, communications with them stopped.
The traffic was stopped along the entire Zamoskvoretskaya line. Rescue teams moved to the burning train from the two Metro stations, simultaneously helping to evacuate people, Itar-Tass reported from the place of the disaster.
Medics rendered first aid to disaster victims at the vestibule of the Avtozavodskaya station. Fire smoke created difficulties for the evacuation of passengers from the train that stopped 300 meters from the station.
Several dozens of ambulances rushed to the Avtozavodskaya station. The traffic in the streets near the Avtozavodskaya station was sealed off to ease the work of rescue teams. City hospitals created additional places for disaster victims.
Moscow Vice Mayor Valery Shantsev and city prosecutor Anatoly Zuyev came to the site of occurrence. Investigators are now working at the scene, trying to find out circumstances of the explosion, the public relations center of the Russian Prosecutor General's Office told Itar-Tass.
Source: ITAR-TASS News Agency
