Bomb Explosion In Belarus Injures Over 20

Officials said a homemade bomb exploded at an outdoor concert in the Belarusian capital of Minsk, overnight, injuring some20 people. The blast happened after midnight, at a concert to celebrate the country’s Independence Day. Tens of thousands of people were out on one of the city’s main squares, dancing and singing, at the time of the explosion. Amid all the noise and fireworks, many of them did not notice the blast.

The authorities did not stop the festivities, which continued unabated just a few meters away. Ambulances were called in to take the injured away.

Police later acknowledged the seriousness of the attack, saying some 50 people had been injured, some of them very seriously.

Bomb Packed With Nuts, Bolts

Eyewitnesses said the bomb was packed with nuts and bolts, magnifying the extent of the injuries.

One man, who reached the scene a few minutes after the explosion, told RFE/RL’s Belarus Service he saw one man who had lost his hand and one young woman who had her toes ripped off in the explosion.

The explosion left a crater some 20 centimeters deep, with blood spattered on the grass around it.

Minsk Police Chief Anatoly Kuleshov later spoke to reporters. He praised the authorities and hospital personnel for what he said was their quick response and avoidance of panic. “Some of the casualties are currently in city hospitals. Everyone has been given timely medical care. No one was killed. A criminal case has been opened and we are investigating,” Kuleshov said.

President Alyaksandr Lukashenka was apparently at the concert when the bomb went off. He reached the scene within a few minutes, inspecting the site and urging the authorities to find the culprits quickly.

His spokesman, Pavel Legkiy, said speculation that the bomb might have been an assassination plot was unfounded. He said the device clearly targeted ordinary concert goers.

Second Device

Interior Minister Vladimir Naumov said it was too early to tell whether the bombing was “terrorism” but he promised that answers would soon be found.

Naumov said a second explosive device, that apparently did not go off, was also found, which he said would help police in their investigation. For now, police have described the incident as “hooliganism.

The Minsk bombing is the most serious attack of its kind since 2005, when a homemade explosive device injured some 40 people in the city of Vitebsk.

A little known, anti-Lukashenka group calling itself the “Belarusian National Liberation Army” later claimed responsibility but no one was convicted for the attack.

Source Radio Free Europe

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