Suicide bomber strikes Russian bus, killing 5

MOSCOW (AP) — Russian investigators say a female suicide bomber has struck a passenger bus in the southern city of Volgograd, killing five people and injuring at least 20 others.

The state ITAR-Tass news agency cited Valery Safonov, an official with Russia's main investigative agency, saying the suspected bomber was the partner of a militant. He did not say where that militant was from.

The spokesman for the Investigative Committee confirmed that the explosion was an act of terrorism.

Monday's explosion was the first on a bus in Russia since a 2008 bombing carried out by a female suicide bomber in the North Caucasus, a region in southern Russia where an Islamic insurgency is simmering.

THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP's earlier story is below.

A bomb blast rocked a passenger bus in the southern Russian city of Volgograd on Monday, killing at least five people and injuring 17 others, officials said.

The blast was caused by "an unspecified explosive device," the National Anti-Terrorism Committee said in a statement.

There was no immediate information about who might have carried out the bombing or why. The anti-terrorism agency, which is part of the Federal Security Service, said investigators were on the scene.

A total of 40 people were on the city bus at the time of the explosion, said Irina Gogolyeva, a spokeswoman for the Emergency Situations Ministry. She said at least five died and 17 were injured.

Many of the injured were hospitalized in serious condition, the state news agency ITAR-Tass reported.

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Source: http://news.yahoo.com/suicide-bomber-strikes-russian-bus-killing-5-130721528.html
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