27 injured in St Petersburg train explosion

[John Ashworth]

27 injured in St Petersburg train explosion


Luke Harding in Moscow
Tuesday August 14, 2007
The Guardian

At least 20 people were injured last night when an explosion derailed a high-speed train travelling between Moscow and St Petersburg.

The engine driver reported hearing a loud bang from beneath the train shortly before the accident. An emergency official said at least 27 people were injured, three critically.

It was not clear last night whether the blast was a terrorist attack. But rescue workers discovered a 1.5 metre-deep crater under the train's ninth carriage, Interfax reported. The derailment was at 9.45pm local time, close to the city of Novgorod, some 300 miles north of Moscow.

The train is popular with foreigners travelling from Moscow to St Petersburg, a summer tourist destination famous for its Hermitage museum. The journey normally takes five hours.

Last night Alexander Pirkov, an adviser to Russia's state-run railway, said that investigators were trying to determine the cause of the explosion. Nine carriages derailed in total and 215 passengers were on the train at the time, he said. Other officials put the number of derailed carriages at four. The carriages were tilted to one side but still connected, they added. All rail traffic on the busy route was suspended.

Despite its reputation for appalling food and uncomfortable benches, Russian railways have improved and now offer western levels of comfort, reliability - and prices.

[John Ashworth]

BBC
Last Updated: Tuesday, 14 August 2007, 06:07 GMT 07:07 UK

Russian train derailed by 'bomb'

A Russian passenger train travelling from Moscow to St Petersburg has been derailed, probably by an improvised bomb, officials have said.

At least 60 people have been injured, and 27 taken to hospital.

An investigation has been opened into possible terrorist activity after a crater was found under the train.

It is not clear who planted the suspected device. Chechen rebels have carried out no violent attacks outside southern Russia for at least a year.

The driver reportedly heard a loud bang before the train derailed.

The crater reportedly measures about 1.5m (5 feet) in diameter and was found underneath one of the carriages.

'Criminal case'

Officials said an "improvised explosive device" had probably caused the explosion.

"A criminal case has been opened under article 205, clause 3, that is terrorism," said Sergei Bednichenko, chief prosecutor for Russia's north-west district.

The engine and 12 carriages of the train came off the rails just as it was about to cross a river bridge, Russian Railways said on its website, adding that 800m of track had been badly damaged.

The incident occurred near the village of Malaya Vishera in Novgorod region, about 500km (310 miles) north of Moscow.

The line between Moscow and St Petersburg is one of the country's busiest.