17 August 2009, 21:00
Count of victims of Nazran explosion reaches 138
According to latest data, the explosion in Nazran (Ingushetia) killed 20 persons and wounded 138 more; searches continue. This was reported by the Department of Information of the Ministry for Emergencies (MfE) of Russia.
The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that search of victims right after the terror act was impossible, as the building of the blown up ROVD was in fire; now it is under control.
The MfE spokesman said that "there were ten children among the victims; earlier it was reported about 118 victims, the ITAR-TASS reports.
According to unofficial information, about 50 persons were lost. According to Yakub Ozdoev, an employee of the GOVD (City Interior Unit), there are 31 casualties only among the militiamen who arrived from other regions; many bodies are scorched and identification of them will obviously need special examination. The wounded militiamen are taken out to the Vladikavkaz Military Hospital, as the "Ingushetia.Org" writes.
As reported by Ruslan Koloev, acting minister for emergencies of Ingushetia, the search and rescue operation in the place of the terror act is over. 20 casualties were found in the place of the tragedy; 6 of them have been identified. 118 victims were hospitalized, some of them, after receiving medical care, were let to go home, as the "Infox" reports.
An aircraft of Russian MfE has taken off for the republic aiming to take 16 heaviest patients to Moscow, as reported by the "Gazeta.Ru".
The terror act at the building of the Nazran GUVD took place today at about 9:00 a.m. The terrorist rammed the gate of the GUVD in his "Gazel" van, stuffed with explosive, drive into the yard, where militiamen lined up for the morning briefing, and triggered the bomb of estimated power from 500 kilos to a ton in trotyl equivalent. A hole with diameter of four meters and some 1.5-2 meters deep appeared after the explosion.
The terror act resulted in sacking the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ingushetia Meiriev.
The State Duma does not exclude that the counterterrorist operation (CTO) regime will be introduced in Ingushetia. It was stated by Mikhail Grishankov, deputy chair of the Duma's Security Committee.
"No CTO regime will be introduced in the territory of the republic in the context of today's terror act," said, in his turn, President of Ingushetia Yunus-Bek Evkurov. He has emphasized that in Ingushetia there are no grounds for introducing the CTO regime in the whole territory of the republic. According to his story, the decision to introduce the CTO regime will be made in relation to some districts, as demanded by the situation; this was practised earlier, as reported by the "Echo Moskvy."