An explosion tore through the center of a southern Russian city on Wednesday, killing five people and wounding at least 20 as locals gathered for a Chechen dance concert, officials said. The blast bore the hallmarks of terrorist attacks that plague Russia's North Caucasus region, though the city of Stavropol rarely suffers the separatist-related violence that pervades Chechnya and other bordering provinces.
Russia's Investigative Committee said in a website statement that the blast occurred near an outdoor cafe that served as a cultural center. A renowned Chechen dance company was scheduled to perform there 15 minutes after the blast struck. A terrorism probe has been opened, the statement said.
It said five people were killed and 20 hospitalised with injuries. A regional Emergencies Ministry spokesman who asked not to be named in line with official policy said 39 were wounded. The spokesman said three of the victims were women sitting on a bench near the tree. Russia has several investigative bodies, and information each gives is frequently contradictory.
State television cited witnesses describing victims covered in blood and running around in a panic. One woman commented that the death toll would have been far higher had the blast struck minutes later, when more people were expected to gather for the concert.
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