Bomb blast in Minsk. About 50 people injured (Photo, Video)

• 4.07.2008, 2:11

An explosion occurred in Minsk during the official Independence Day celebration. Allegedly a self-made explosive device with screws and bolts exploded. About 50 people were hospitalized after the incident near the stela in Victor’s Avenue according to reports from the ambulance service to the Charter’97 press-centre.

The injured with different traumas were taken to different hospitals of Minsk in period between 0.30 to 4.00 a.m. Majority of them have arms and legs wounded. Police officers stay in all the hospitals that have accepted the wounded. The health Ministry confirms the information about 50 injured who had been hospitalized.

According to reports of different medical institutions, 6 persons were put to the Emergency hospital, about 30 persons were taken to the 6th Hospital’s City Centre of traumatic surgery; 6 persons to the Second City Hospital; 2 persons in the Military Hospital; one injured input in the Internal Affairs Ministry Hospital; and one to the Infectious Diseases Hospital.

The video is sent by our visitor who eye-witnessed the explosion

Meanwhile first information from witnesses of the blast in Minsk appears in LiveJournal.

"My brother called. Something exploded in Nemiha Street about half an hour ago. He was about 30 meters from the blast site. He is celebrating his second birthday today. He saw more than 30 wounded. At least one guy lost his hand, one girl lost toes, another guy had something stuck in his hip wound. There were seas of blood. He didn’t see dead bodies, but they were possible there. The explosion was loud, there was a little column of smoke, and there was no flash or plenty of fragments... Policemen in cordon say that it was a cracker, nothing special," – writes blogger mirritil.

«We were about 20 meters from the explosion site near the road. We heard a strong bang, we felt a strong shockwave and saw a small pillar of black smoke. It looked like smoke from gun powder that makes think that it was a home-made bomb. Strange as it may seem, there was no panic. Law enforcers’ actions were well organized. I’d like to believe that it is a kind of weird accident», -- writes mr_freezze.

“I was in the clinic No.2. I saw a guy wounded in chest. His condition was grave, liver and stomach are also injured. They removed 2 bolts from him. So it doesn't look like a firework at all!”, -- has commented a visitor of the Charter’97 website.

Minister of the Interior Affairs Uladzimir Navumau, who visited the place of the tragedy said: “It will become clear whether it was a terroristic act or something else”. A criminal case has been opened, but the Minister hasn’t specified under which articles of the Criminal Code.

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