|
|
Change Your Life! |
49 hospitalized in Russian blast |
|
|
News
|
||
August 16, 2000
MOSCOW (AP) -- A week after a bomb ripped through a crowded underground passageway in central Moscow, 49 victims remain hospitalized and a search for the bombers has yielded no breakthroughs, the ITAR-Tass news agency reported Tuesday.The blast killed seven people outright and the death toll later rose to 12 as victims died from wounds, mostly severe burns. In all, 108 people were hospitalized after the explosion and nine remained in critical condition Tuesday, the agency said. Police said the bomb was equivalent to about one pound of TNT, and are still trying to determine whether the blast was the work of gangsters or Chechen rebels. Rebel groups have denied responsibility. Officials quickly blamed the explosion on Chechens, who are fighting a guerrilla war against Russia, but provided little evidence. Moscow police said Tuesday they had arrested a man from the Caucasus region, where Chechnya is located, because he had traces of explosives on his hands. He will be held three days for questioning, the report said. Previous arrests related to the bombing have not resulted in charges being filed. Apartment bombings in Moscow and other cities last fall killed about 300 people. Officials blamed Chechen rebels, and dozens of ethnic Chechens were detained in Moscow, only to be released later. |
