At Least 11 Dead In Explosion On St. Petersburg Subway In Russia
UPDATED 04/04/17 12:17 a.m.
ST. PETERSBURG, Russia (CBSNewYork/AP) -- At least 11 people have been killed and 45 others injured in an explosion on a subway train in Russia.
Authorities said the deadly explosion happened inside a train car traveling in between two stations shortly before the afternoon rush hour Monday. Russia's National Anti-Terrorism Committee said it also found and deactivated a bomb at another St. Petersburg subway station.
Another 40 people were injured.
Smoke filled the corridors as passengers ran to safety. Social media users posted photographs and video showing people lying on the floor and a train with a mangled door nearby. Frantic commuters reached out into the doors and windows, trying to see if anyone was there and shouting, "Call an ambulance!''
Dozens of emergency workers treated victims at the scene and rushed others to the hospital.
Russia's health minister, Veronika Skvortsova, said seven people were killed on the spot, another died in an ambulance, and two others died at the hospital.
The Interfax news agency reported that Russian authorities initially reported that searching for two men. But late Monday, authorities said the bombing appeared to be the work of one single terrorist.
Sources said the man behind the bombing had ties to radical Islam and left a suicide note.
Russian President Vladimir Putin expressed condolences to the victims and said investigators were looking into whether the explosion was a terror attack or if there might have been some other cause.
"Law enforcement agencies and intelligence services are doing their best to establish the cause and give a full picture of what happened," said Putin, who was in St. Petersburg -- Russia's second largest city -- on Monday for a meeting with the president of Belarus.
Authorities evacuated several subway stations before shutting the metro system down completely. Deputy Mayor Maxim Liksutov told the Interfax that Moscow authorities are tightening security on the subway in the Russian capital. Russia's National Anti-Terrorism Committee also announced that security will be tightened at all critical transport facilities following the blast.
People in Moscow left red carnations outside the Kremlin in memory of those killed and hurt, CBS2's Dana Tyler reported.
Authorities are still investigating what caused the blast. This isn't the first time there's been an explosion on Russia's subway system. In 2010, 38 people were killed in Moscow when two female suicide bombers linked to Chechen rebels detonated devices on packed trains. Russia has been on high alert lately for terrorist activity involving Chechen Islamic extremists.
White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer said the U.S. is condemning the "reprehensible'' attack adding, "Our thoughts and prayers are with the injured and with the Russian people."
"Attacks like these on ordinary citizens just going about their lives remind us that the world must work as one to prevent violence in all forms," Spicer said, adding the U.S. is prepared to offer assistance to Russia.
Trump earlier denounced the attack as "absolutely a terrible thing.''
In New York, Nassau County police said they are intensifying patrols at all train stations in wake of the incident. Officials said there are no known imminent threats to Nassau County, but police are monitoring the situation in Russia along with federal, state and local authorities.
"The Nassau County Police Department is taking all steps necessary to ensure the safety of the public and its police officers," police said.
(© Copyright 2017 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
