St. Petersburg Explosion Kills 11, Injures Dozens
Russia faces an unexpected threat after explosives blew up public transit areas in St. petersburg on Monday, April 3.
More stories from Allison Smith
An unidentified explosive device went off Monday, April 3, killing 11 passengers instantly on the St. Petersburg Metro in Russia. 39 were immediately hospitalized, six of whom are currently in critical condition.
The explosion was between two stations while the Metro was in motion. Instead of stopping the train, the conductor chose to keep moving the train, which likely saved many passengers.
After the first explosion, investigators immediately found another device, at a second station at Revolutionary Square. The second device was defused before causing any damage and the Federal Security Service’s bomb specialists will be investigating both devices throughout the next few days.
Following the explosion, the Metro system was shut down. As of now, there is no known affiliation with a terrorist group to the explosion. Despite President Vladimir Putin’s beliefs on the attack’s connection with terrorism, there will be further investigation to confirm responsibility of the attack and ensure safety for the public.
There have been many terror attacks in Europe this year, scaring many citizens. However, the terrorist attacks are not only scaring Europeans, but they are worrisome to many Americans including Sequoits.
“The attacks are sending a negative message and vibe to not only Russia, but abroad all over the world,” teacher Andy Ehrhardt said. “I feel slightly fearful for what could happen in the United States and other parts of Europe.”
While the attack in Russia this past week is scary to many, it was not the only attack that has occurred this year in Europe.
“It is sad to me that people result to violence to solve problems,” senior Lauren Bowers said. “I am not too worried about future attacks because we have been aware of the issue for a while now.”
With regards to being worried, Ehrhardt feels the same as Bowers.
“The concept of terrorist attacks is not new to America or other parts of the world,” Ehrhardt said. “The threat is always there because of the society we live in nowadays. It’s something we cannot avoid.”
