At least 10 people have been killed and many more wounded in a bomb explosion at a college in Crimea, Russia has said.

The Russian national anti-terrorism committee, a government body, said the explosion at a polytechnic was caused by an “unidentified explosive device”, according to Russia’s Tass state news agency.

The bomb blast took place in the city of Kerch, which is the entry point for a new 19km bridge linking Crimea to mainland Russia.

The committee said early estimates suggested that 10 people had been killed and more than 50 wounded in the explosion, which happened in the college cafeteria.

Reports from witnesses quoted by local media suggested there may have been shooting and an attempt to take hostages prior to the explosion. Police have so far not commented on the incident. Russian media first reported the blast as the result of a gas explosion.

The explosion will attract intense scrutiny from Russian authorities. Crimea was annexed by Russia from Ukraine in 2014, and providing security to the peninsula has been a priority for Moscow.

Source: The Guardian

BDST: 1725 HRS, OCT 17, 2018
AH