Updated April 04, 2017 00:09:21
At least 10 people have been killed in an explosion on a train carriage in St Petersburg's underground metro, Russian authorities say.
Fifty people were injured in the blast, Andrey Kibitov, the head of the city governor's press service said on Twitter.
Mr Kibitov said 17 ambulances were treating the injured.
Russian President Vladimir Putin, who is in St Petersburg for a meeting with Belarussian leader Alexander Lukashenko, said the cause of the explosion was not clear.
"I have already spoken to the head of our special services, they are working to ascertain the cause [of the blasts]," Mr Putin said at a meeting with Mr Lukashenko.
"The causes are not clear, it's too early. We will look at all possible causes, terrorism as well as common crime."
The blast happened at 2:40pm (local time), well ahead of the evening rush hour.
Authorities closed all St Petersburg metro stations. The Moscow metro said it was taking unspecified additional security measures in case of an attack there.
Russia's National Anti-Terrorism Committee announced security would be tightened at all critical transport facilities following the blast.
Video showed injured people on a platform, some being treated by emergency services. Others ran away from the platform amid clouds of smoke.
A train could be seen stopped at a platform with mangled doors.
At least 38 people were killed in 2010 when two female suicide bombers detonated bombs on packed Moscow metro trains.
Reuters/AP
First posted April 03, 2017 22:29:09
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