Russian Agencies Report Details of North Ossetia Bus Blast

Text of report by corporate-owned Russian news agency Interfax

Rostov-na-Donu, 22 November: There has been an explosion on a passenger bus in North Ossetia’s Kirovskiy District. According to preliminary information, four people have been killed, a source in the republic’s law enforcement bodies told Interfax-Yug news agency on Thursday [22 November].

“The explosion on an Ikarus bus took place at a viewing deck near the traffic police post in North Ossetia’s Kirovskiy District. According to preliminary information, passengers have been killed and injured. Unconfirmed reports say that four people were killed,” the source said.

He said that the bus was en route from Pyatigorsk to Vladikavkaz. The explosion occurred at 1820 Moscow time [1520 gmt].

He said that a group of investigators had been sent to the site. The state of affairs is being established.

[A later (1621 gmt) report by Interfax-Yug quoted North Ossetia's First Deputy Interior Minister Soslan Sikoyev as saying: "According to my information, which arrived after the questioning of the driver, six people boarded the bus from Pyatigorsk to Vladikavkaz at Malka (Kabarda-Balkaria). They got off at Nalchik. According to our information, the explosion took place at the rear of the bus, after it had stopped for a document check at the viewing deck near the traffic police post on our side of the border between Kabarda- Balkaria and North Ossetia. According to preliminary information, three people were killed in the rear part of the cabin. A boy was thrown out of the bus by the explosion. He also died."

ITAR-TASS said at 1646 gmt that the bus was going from North Ossetia to Kabarda-Balkaria and that the incident took place at the so-called Iran checkpoint on the administrative border between the two Russian republics. The report said that four had been killed and 10 injured. It also said that the president of North Ossetia, Taymuraz Mamsurov, and the heads of all power-wielding bodies had left for the site.

Another ITAR-TASS report, at 1647 gmt, said that the incident was likely to have been a terrorist attack.

RIA-Novosti, 1657 gmt, quoting a source in the law enforcement bodies, said that "the cause of the explosion, according to preliminary information, was an explosive device planted on the side of the road". RIA said that four had been killed and 13 injured]

Originally published by Interfax news agency, Moscow, in Russian 1609 22 Nov 07.

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