UPDATE 3 - At least 7 dead in Belarus metro blast, 90 injured

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UPDATE 3 - At least 7 dead in Belarus metro blast, 90 injured

2011-04-12 00:39:31 GMT+7 (ICT)

MINSK (BNO NEWS) -- A powerful explosion ripped through a metro station in the Belarusian capital on early Monday evening, killing at least 7 people and injuring dozens more, officials said.

The explosion happened at around 5.56 p.m. local time at the Oktyabrskaya metro station in Minsk, not far from the presidential residence. The cause of the blast, which happened during the evening rush hour as people returned home from work, was not immediately known.

Belarusian police reported that at least 7 people were killed in the explosion, which reportedly happened near one of the escalators as two trains arrived at the station. A total of 90 others were injured, 50 of whom were hospitalized.

Scores of ambulances, fire trucks and police vehicles could be seen in the area of the station, and pictures from the scene showed at least two bodies laying outside the station. Some of the victims were transported to area hospitals by taxi.

The office of Alexander Lukashenko said the president would be holding an emergency meeting on Monday evening to discuss the situation. It also said the head of state had instructed emergency services to increase security and to provide all necessary medical assistance to the victims and their relatives.

In Moscow, officials said police had been put on alert and security was being increased in wake of the explosion in Minsk. Last year, two female suicide bombers killed 40 people at two metro stations in the Russian capital.

European Parliament President Jerzy Buzek was the first foreign leader to comment on the event, saying he extends his condolences to the families of the victims. "I wish a speedy and full recovery to the injured. The cause of the blast must be fully investigated," he added.

On July 4, 2008, more than 50 people were injured when a bomb exploded at an outdoor concert in Minsk. Officials blamed hooligans, but no one has ever claimed responsibility for the act.

Lukashenko has been the president of Belarus since July 1994 and has been called the "last remaining true dictatorship in the heart of Europe" by the United States. There are no known terrorist groups which target Belarus specifically.

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