By Valery Kalinovsky (AFP)
MINSK — Belarus on Tuesday sought to identify the perpetrators behind the bombing on the Minsk metro that killed 12 and wounded 150, the first major apparent act of terror in its post-Soviet history.
The explosion at a busy metro station in the heart of the Belarussian capital near the headquarters of President Alexander Lukashenko stunned a city which has never seen attacks like those suffered in neighbouring Russia.
Authorities described the attack as an act of terror and Lukashenko implied that foreign forces may be responsible. But officials seemed for the moment at a loss to explain who was behind the attack.
"As of 2:30 local time (23:30 GMT), the number of dead reached 12 people, six of whom have been identified," the country's security service, still known by its Soviet acronymn KGB, said in a statement, raising a previous toll of 11.
A total of 149 people needed medical treatment, 22 of whom are in a serious condition, and 30 of whom have injuries of medium severity, the KGB statement said.