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CNN LIVE AT DAYBREAK
Russian Suicide Attack, at Least 15 Killed in bus Explosion
Aired June 5, 2003 - 06:05 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Near Chechnya, a female suicide bomber has blown up a bus carrying members of the Russia air force. Fifteen people are dead.
Let's find out more from CNN's Moscow bureau chief Jill Dougherty.
Good morning -- Jill.
JILL DOUGHERTY, CNN MOSCOW BUREAU CHIEF: Good morning, Carol.
Well, you know, just a few minutes ago, Carol, there was a report now the final numbers coming from the prosecutor general, who briefed President Putin, and he said that 16 people have died in this suicide attack.
The description that's coming from north Ossetia -- it's just over the border from Chechnya -- is that a young woman -- presumably this suicide bomber was going along as a bus carrying these air force people, mostly technical people, stopped next to a railroad crossing. She approached it, threw herself under it, blew herself up and killed those 16 people. Also, 15 people very seriously injured, four of them in really critical condition.
The presumption is that she was somehow allied with the Chechens. They say at this point it's not really totally clear, because not much, unfortunately, was left on the scene to really have any evidence. So, medics and doctors are on the scene.
And the theory, Carol, is that this is all part of destabilizing the region. After all, the Russian government has been trying to bring some type of stability back to the region. They had a referendum, and they also had given -- or actually are about to vote on an amnesty for rebels.
So, the theory is that this is international terrorism, the Russians would argue, and the prosecutor general said that they are going to be looking for the funding of that international terrorism -- Carol.
COSTELLO: Good enough. Jill Dougherty reporting live from Moscow this morning.
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