Skip to main content

Russia bomb kills 6; more than 40 hurt

By the CNN Wire Staff
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
  • Prosecutors call explosion an "act of terror"
  • Preteen girl among dead
  • Bomb appears to have been detonated remotely
  • Chechen leader condemns attack

Moscow, Russia (CNN) -- A bombing outside a planned performance by a dance company from the restive Russian republic of Chechnya left six people dead and more than 40 wounded on Wednesday, state media reported.

The bomb went off outside a community center in the southwestern Russian city of Stavropol, according to the Investigation Committee of the Russian Prosecutor's Office, which called the explosion "an act of terror." The blast happened about 6.45 p.m. (10:45 a.m. ET), 15 minutes before the Chechen dance company Vainakh was scheduled to perform, the committee reported.

One of the dead included a preteen girl, according to state-run news agency RIA-Novosti.

Early reports indicate the bomb was detonated by remote control and used about 200 grams (7 ounces) of explosives, said Yekaterina Danilova, a spokeswoman for the committee. The device was packed with small metal objects meant to inflict maximum harm, she said.

Stavropol is about 1,000 km (625 miles) south of Moscow.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for Wednesday's bombing. But Islamist groups from the North Caucasus have been behind a string of recent attacks, including April bombings in the republic of Dagestan and March bombings at Moscow subway stations that killed nearly 40 people and wounded dozens. A Chechen rebel leader, Dokku Umarov, claimed responsibility for the subway attack.

Chechnya's Russian-installed president, Ramzan Kadyrov, condemned the bombing in comments to the Russian news agency Interfax and offered to help authorities in Stavropol investigate the attack.

"Some forces dislike it that the North Caucasus is becoming stable and attractive for domestic and foreign investment, for the advancement of the travel business," Kadyrov said.

CNN's Maxim Tkachenko contributed to this report.