Sucide bomber kills 14 - terrorism has struck Russia once again amidst preparation for the Sochi Games in February after a female, "Black Widow" suicide bomber leaves 14 people dead and hundreds injured at a railway station.
The incident occured in Volgograd, around 550 miles south Russia's capital and 400 miles away from Sochi, a resort in Black Sea surrounded by North Caucasus Mountains.
Terrorism attacks and suicide bombings caused by Islamic rebels inhabiting North Caucasus have continued to threaten Russia for the past several years. Past incidents have forced the government to take extra measures by deploying tens of thousands of policemen, soldiers and expert security detail to keep the Olympics safe. As President Vladimir Putin's current priority, the government and activity organizers are working together to make the Sochi Winter Games the "safest Olympics in history.
According to Investigative Committee spokesperson, Vladimir Markin, the female suicide bomber released the explosives she was wearing near a metal detector which was situated behind the railway station's main entrance.
"When the suicide bomber saw a policeman near a metal detector, she became nervous and set off her explosive device," Markin said in an official statement regarding the issue. The spokesperson also remarked that the suicide bomber's explosive was rigged with shrapnel and contained around 22 pounds of TNT.
According to Markin, security measures taken by the station's guards helped avoid more casualties at the area, which around the time of the bombing was crowded with people because several trains had been delayed.
Markin confirmed that the suicide bombing's total body count was 14. Sergei Bozhenov, regional governor of Volgograd, earlier announced the death toll as 15 but changed it later to 14 deaths.
The Health Ministry of Russia declared that around 50 people were injured due to the suicide bombing incident and Investigative Committee's Markin later confirmed that 34 had been hospitalized due to grave injuries.
The suspected suicide bomber's head had been found at the area of the explosion, which gave security agencies the chance to identify the bomber.
Often identified as sisters or widows of rebels, female suicide bombers are called "black widows" and have caused several incidents in Russia.
