Posted on 11/22/2007 7:58:56 PM PST by RDTF
ROSTOV-ON-DON, Russia (AP) - A passenger bus caught fire and exploded in Russia's troubled North Caucasus Thursday, killing at least five people and wounding 12, emergency and police officials said.
Investigators said they considered terrorism the likely cause. The incident took place in the North Ossetia region which is plagued by violence from feuding criminal groups, remnants of Chechen separatist fighters and other militant groups that target government and police. But authorities did not point to any specific group that is suspected.
The bus traveling from the southern city of Pyatigorsk was near a police post on the administrative border of North Ossetia when the fire broke out, said Oleg Ugnivnenko, a spokesman for the regional Emergency Situation Ministry. The explosion happened shortly after.
The RIA-Novosti news agency, citing an unnamed law enforcement official, said the blast may have been caused by an explosive device in the road.
However, a duty officer for the North Ossetia Interior Ministry told The Associated Press that the device had been planted on the bus, possibly while it was parked near a police post awaiting a sweep by officers. The officer asked not to be named since he was not authorized to speak to the media.
One child was among the five killed and 12 people were hospitalized with burns and shrapnel wounds. A total of 19 people, including two drivers, were on the bus.
North Ossetia is next to violence-wracked Chechnya. Beslan, in North Ossetia, was the site of a 2004 school hostage seizure that resulted in the deaths of more than 330 people.
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(Excerpt) Read more at breitbart.com ...
Religion of peace again....
ping
“remnants of Chechen separatist fighters and other militant groups that target government and police”
Seems to me they target civilians. The city bus and elementary school kids are not police or government.
-Chris
wy do they keep calling them ‘chechen separatists’ instead of muslims?
What are the Russians going to do when a nuclear Iran links up with the Chechens?
lecture the US..
yeah. damn amish...
Russians: Possible terrorism.
US: Though we have not been to the site and have not done any investigations we have ruled out terrorism.
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