Large blast hits Southern Russia

17 August, 2009, 22:19

The Interior minister of Ingushetia has been sacked by President Dmitry Medvedev, after local police failed to prevent a deadly blast in the republic's capital of Nazran.

At least 20 people were killed and nearly 140 injured when a terrorist drove his light commercial vehicle, Gazelle, filled with explosives estimated from 20 to 50 kilograms of TNT, into the courtyard of the building housing the police headquarters.

Read more

Volunteers carry a dead body at the site of the explosion / AFP Photo / Kazbek Basayev

The blast went off as officers lined up in the courtyard for their morning inspection.

“At nine this morning someone drove a vehicle filled with explosives through the gates of the Nazran Region Internal affairs building. This caused an explosion and fire,” announced Madina Khadzieva, Interior Ministry spokesperson.

The blast triggered a fire that raged for hours as ammunition and weapons stored at the building exploded. Nearby apartment blocks were also damaged and many of its residents were injured when apartment windows were blown out. Also, more than 20 cars parked in the courtyard were destroyed by fire.

Eighty firefighters and members of the Ministry of Emergency Situations were working at the site to extinguish the fire and look for survivors under the debris.

The RIA Novosti news agency reports that law-enforcement agencies of Ingushetia knew about the attack beforehand and were looking for the vehicle with explosives, but did not find it in time.

When the terrorist, in a commercial vehicle, headed into the closed gates of the yard in front of republic’s police headquarters, the guards opened fire at the truck but did not succeed in stopping the vehicle. Once the vehicle was inside the courtyard, an explosion rocked the premises.

Witnesses say a human head was found some 50 meters from the epicenter of the explosion. It is believed the head belongs to the terrorist who exploded his car this morning. If so, it will significantly speed his identification and give a vital boost to investigators.

“The bombing is under investigation. The most likely motives are revenge for the work carried out by the police against militants or an attempt to destabilize the situation in the region,” said Vladimir Markin, a spokesman for the Prosecutor General’s Office.

Firefighters and policemen work at the site of the blast / AFP Photo / Kazbek Basayev

The deadly bombing is the latest in a string of violent attacks that have rocked Ingushetia in recent months. The republic’s president, Yunus-Bek Yevkurov, was seriously wounded in a failed assassination attempt in June and has yet to return to work. Last week, Ingushetia’s Construction Minister was killed in his office by two masked gunmen.

After Monday's suicide attack, Ingush officials moved to tighten security at government buildings. However, President Medvedev criticized the failings of the republic's Interior Ministry.

“The attack is the result of not only the problems related to terror activities, but also of the unsatisfactory work of the republic's law enforcement agencies. This terror attack could have been prevented. I have decided to remove Ingushetia’s interior minister from office and to order an internal inquiry,” Medvedev said.

The families of victims have been promised compensation and three days of mourning have been declared in the republic.

The Ministry of Emergency Situations is sending a heavy transport aircraft with medical equipment to the Republic of Ingushetia.

Additionally, Russia’s Ministry of Internal Affairs has formed a special commission to investigate the case.

A criminal case on several charges, including murder, has been opened.