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July 5, 2003
Death Toll Climbing After Explosions at Moscow Concert
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
OSCOW (AP) -- A series of explosions, including one apparently set off by a woman suicide bomber, went off at a rock festival on Moscow's outskirts Saturday, killing at least 15 people, news reports said.
The Interfax and ITAR-Tass news agencies both cited law-enforcement sources as saying the first blast took place after guards stopped a woman at the entrance to the festival and she detonated an explosives-packed belt.
Interfax reported a total of three blasts and put the death toll at 15, while ITAR-Tass said at least 20 had been killed.
Fears of terrorism have been high in the Russian capital since last October's seizure of a Moscow theater by scores of Chechen militants demanding Russian forces pull out of the war-torn republic. Those militants included women strapped with explosives and detonators.
Moscow police and the emergency situations ministry could not immediately be reached for comment about Saturday's blasts. The Federal Security Service referred queries to the Moscow police.
The festival, called "Krylya" (Wings), is a highly popular summer event for Moscow's youth. It is held at the Tushino airfield in Moscow's northern outskirts.
There were conflicting reports on where the second blast took place, either at the festival entrance or at a nearby outdoor market. About 20 minutes after the first two explosions were reported, Interfax said there was third blast in the area.
During the Moscow theater standoff in October, Chechen militants threatened to blow themselves up and held 800 people hostage for days. Russian special forces ended the standoff by pumping narcotic gas into the theater and then storming in. At least 129 hostages died, almost all from the effects of the gas.
