16/08/21
Terrorists blow up bus in Russia
Terrorists blow up bus in Russia, killing bride-to-be, 22 and pastry chef, 55 as experts say explosive device may have been hidden behind a seat heater
The explosion happened in the city of Voronezh, 280 miles south of Moscow
Russian experts now fear a horrific bus explosion that killed two women on Thursday was a terrorist blast. Authorities initially said the cause was leaky gas equipment but experts now believe an explosive device was used
Two people were killed in the blast which injured 26
Victim, Bride-to-be Olga Chernokova, 22, buried in her wedding dress
Experts suspect device on bottom or floor of the bus was activated remotely.
CCTV footage shows the moment the explosion took place in the city of Voronezh, roughly 280 miles south of Moscow, injuring 26 passengers.
Russian authorities initially played down the possibility of a terrorist strike in an announcement made on Friday, instead blaming the explosion on leaky gas equipment.
But experts now believe a concealed explosive device was responsible for the blast.
One of the victims, Olga Chernokova, a 22-year-old bride-to-be, was buried in her wedding dress.
She sustained severe injuries in the explosion, losing both of her feet from the blast, and doctors were unable to save her.
Passers-by rushed to help the injured passengers, many of whom sustained significant injuries
Pastry chef Tatyana Ivanova, 55, was also killed in the blast which Russian officials had put down to a technical problem with the bus, but the company that operated the vehicle carried no gas equipment and was in good condition.
A law enforcement source cited by Vesti Voronezh later said an explosive device may have been concealed behind an under seat heater on the bus, while explosive expert Dmitry Simkin told Moskovsky Komsomolets he feared a bomb was placed on the floor of the bus and activated remotely.
The rupture zone is very clearly visible - the bottom of the bus has gone up, he said.
The Russian Anti-Terror Committee is coordinating the investigation into the explosion and reported that all options are being considered as their team continue to analyse shrapnel and fragments from the scene.
The explosion which killed two and injured 26 ripped through the bus, blowing out the windows and several body panels
Russias most senior criminal investigator Alexander Bastrykin, head of the Investigative Committee and a former university classmate of Vladimir Putin, has taken personal control of the case.
CCTV footage shows passengers rushing out of the mangled vehicle which was at a bus stop in the city centre in the aftermath of the explosion.
A dashcam in a passing vehicle separately caught the moment the large blast ripped through the side of the bus.
The explosion was very loud, then everyone started running to escape, one witness, Larissa, told the state news agency RIA Novosti, adding that the whole road was strewn with broken glass.
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