Chechnya death toll rises
The number of people known to have died as a result of Monday’s truck bomb in Chechnya has risen to 54, while more than 80 remain in hospital. Russian President Vladimir Putin linked the style and consequences of the bombing to suicide attacks in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday which left at least 29 people dead. The Chechnya attack destroyed a local government compound in Znamenskoye, in the north of the republic, and damaged neighbouring residential buildings. Prosecutors say people suspected of organising the attack, which was carried out by suicide bombers, are being pursued. Among the dead were seven children and 10 officers of the Federal Security Service (FSB), whose local branch was located in the compound. The attack – blamed by Moscow on Chechen separatists – was the deadliest attack since a December suicide bombing in Grozny. Full Story