Bus bomb kills eight in Tolyatti

On October 31, 2007 eight people were killed and 56 injured in the Russian city of Tolyatti today when a bomb exploded on a passenger bus during rush hour (07:17 a.m.).

Police dismissed an initial theory that a gas canister had exploded on the bus, saying a bomb had most likely been attached to the underside of the vehicle or placed on the floor. It was also possible that a passenger was carrying the device, they said.

On November 3 a 21-year-old student Evgeny Vakhrushev, who died in the fatal bomb blast, has been named as the person responsible for the tragedy. Police believe Vakhrushev was attached to the bomb when it exploded.

Police searched Vakhrushev’s home and discovered materials similar to those found at the blast site. The bomb is thought to be similar to the one used in Moscow’s Cherkizovsky market blast in August 2006, which killed more than 10.

Vakhrushev body was destroyed in a way which has led investigators to think he was at the centre of the blast and had explosives on him. The motive behind the blast still remains unclear. The suspect could have been heading to a market or university, which were on the route of the attacked bus.

Agentura.Ru March 16, 2011