At least 15 killed in rock festival blasts
At least 15 people were killed today when explosions that police blamed initially on terrorists roared through the area around a rock festival on Moscow’s outskirts, news reports said.
The Interfax and ITAR-Tass news agencies both cited unnamed law-enforcement sources as saying the first blast took place after guards stopped a woman at the entrance to the festival and she detonated an explosives-packed belt.
Interfax put the death toll at 15, while ITAR-Tass said at least 20 had been killed.
Moscow police and the emergency situations ministry could not immediately be reached for comment. The Federal Security Service referred queries to the Moscow police.
The festival, called “Krylya” (Wings), is a highly popular summer event for Moscow’s youth. It is held at the Tushino airfield in Moscow’s northern outskirts.
There were conflicting reports on where the second blast took place, either at the festival entrance or at a nearby outdoor market. About 20 minutes after the first two explosions were reported, Interfax said there was a third blast in the area.
Fears of terrorism have been high in the Russian capital since last October’s seizure of a Moscow theatre by scores of assailants demanding that Russian forces pull out of Chechnya.
The assailants included women who were strapped with explosives and detonators. Russian special forces ended that seizure by pumping narcotic gas into the theatre and then storming in.
At least 129 of the approximately 800 hostages died, almost all from the effects of the gas.
