35 dead' in suicide bomb attack on Moscow airport
35 people were killed and over 130 injured in a suicide bomb blast at Moscow’s Domodedovo airport on Monday, the Interfax news agency reported.
Russian officials put the number of casualties at 31, and described it as an "act of terror"."Today at 4:32 pm (1332 GMT) an explosion went off in the international arrivals hall of Domodedovo airport," the Russian investigative committee said in a statement.
A British Airways flight from London had arrived in Moscow at 3.45pm. There was no news of British casualties.
Mark Green, a British Airways passenger who had just arrived at the airport, told the BBC he heard the huge explosion as he left the terminal.
"Literally, it shook you," he said. "As we were putting the bags in the car a lot of alarms ... were going off and people started flowing out of the terminal, some of whom were covered in blood."
"There are reports that a bomb went off in the international arrivals hall and that over 30 people have been killed.
"The airport is currently closed and you should not travel there. We will provide further updates as soon as we are able to."
A total of almost 240,000 British nationals entered Russia in 2009.
The Foreign Office advice warns of a high threat from terrorism in Russia, with the possibility of indiscriminate attacks.
Mark Green, a British Airways passenger who had just arrived at the airport, told the BBC he heard the huge explosion as he left the terminal.
"Literally, it shook you," he said. "As we were putting the bags in the car a lot of alarms ... were going off and people started flowing out of the terminal, some of whom were covered in blood."
"One gentleman had a pair of jeans on that was ripped and his thigh from his groin to his knee was covered in blood," he added.
Asked if all the people on his flight would have made it out of the terminal, he said: "I would be extremely surprised if there was nobody on that flight that was affected by the blast."
Mr Green, who travels to Moscow once a month, said it was "one of the busiest times" he had seen at the airport, with "thousands" inside.
Russian President Dmitry Medvedev ordered increased security at all transport hubs in the capital, and cancelled his trip to the World Economic Forum in Davos, where he was due to deliver the opening speech on Wednesday.
William Hague, the Foreign Secretary, said: "I am deeply shocked and saddened at today's explosion at Moscow's Domodedovo airport with the loss of many lives.
"On behalf of the UK, I send condolences to all those who have lost relatives or been injured.
"British officials are in urgent contact with the Russian authorities to establish the facts and to provide consular support to any British nationals who may have been affected."
Local media reported the blast may have hit the baggage reclaim area of the international arrivals hall.
The airport, which is Moscow's busiest, is around 25 miles south-east of the city centre.
The Russkaya Sluzhba Novostei radio station cited a traveller, identified as Viktor, as saying he heard the bang outside the airport, where he was waiting for a car.
"There was an explosion, a bang. Then I saw a policeman covered in fragments of flesh and all bloody. He was shouting 'I've survived! I've survived!"'
Domodedovo is generally regarded as Moscow's most up-to-date airport, but its security procedures have been called into question.In 2004, two suicide bombers were able to board planes at Domodedovo by buying tickets illegally from airport personnel. The bombers blew themselves up in mid-air, killing all 90 people aboard the two flights.
Moscow suffered its worst attack in six years in March 2010 when two female suicide bombers from Russia’s volatile Dagestan region set off explosives in the metro, killing 40 people.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/russia/8278916/31-dead-in-suicide-bomb-attack-on-Moscow-airport.html[ 本文被peter01在2011-01-25 01:04重新編輯 ]
