A woman suicide bomber blew herself up at the entrance hall of Volgograd train station in Russia on Sunday, December 28, and killed at least 18 people, according to a CNN report.

The suicide bombing is the second deadly attack reported in the country as it prepares to host the Winter Olympics, the report said.

A security camera outside the station captured a huge fireball inside of what appears to be the main hall entrance. Smoke was coming out of the train station's shattered windows, the report said.

According the country's National Anti-Terror Committee's preliminary investigation, the suicide bombing was carried out by a female suicide bomber, CNN reported.

"People were lying on the ground, screaming and asking for help," Alexander Koblyakov, a witness, told Rossiya-24 TV.

According to a spokesperson of President Vladimir Putin, the Russian president has instructed the country's law enforcement agencies to do whatever it takes to ensure the security of surrounding areas including train stations and airports.

Together with the 18 dead, Oleg Salagai, Russian Health Ministry spokesman, said there are 42 more people who were wounded in the blast, while some have to be flown to the Russian capital of Moscow to get treatment.

According to reports, the Volgograd station was busier this time of year with people travelling home for the New Year holidays. TV footage showed emergency services carrying out victims, with at least one body lying motionless on the ground, MSN News said

"I saw melted, twisted bits of metal, broken glass and bodies lying on the street," another witness said.

Volgograd, formerly known as Stanlingrad, is made up of around 1million people and is about 430 miles northeast of Sochi, the host city of the Winter Olympics that will open on Februrary 7.

The suicide bombing attack on Sunday was the deadliest to strike the country since January 2011, when Islamist insurgents killed 37 people at a Moscow airport, the report said.