50 injured as bomb explodes at independence day concert

Published on Friday 4 July 2008 14:20

MORE than 50 people were injured today when a bomb went off at an outdoor concert in the Belarus capital, Minsk.

Officials blamed "hooligans" for the blast, which took place before dawn at a concert which marked the former Soviet nation's independence day and was attended by longtime ruler, President Alexander Lukashenko.

One eyewitness said he saw nuts and bolts around the area of explosion. Police spokesman Alexander Lastovsky said authorities had opened a criminal probe on charges of hooliganism.

Mr Lastovsky said more than 20 people were hospitalised, but the Health Ministry put that number at more than 50. It's believed the bomb went off at around 12.30am.

Several thousand people attended the concert, held at the Hero City memorial, commemorating Minsk's suffering during The Second World War. The explosion is unprecedented in Belarus.

President Lukashenko's spokesman Pavel Legkiy said: "The president was not far. He reached the site of the explosion within several minutes. He did not stay long so as not to interfere with the work of the emergency services.

"According to preliminary data, this was a home-made device."