By RIA Novosti
Samara : At least seven people were killed and 40 injured Wednesday in a powerful explosion on a bus in central Togliatti, a city on Russia’s Volga River, rescuers reported.
The cause of the blast has not yet been ascertained but investigators have ruled out a gas explosion because the vehicle did not run on natural gas fuel.
Local officials said 20 people had been hospitalised, two in critical condition.
He said flying splinters had injured at least another 20 on the road. “Many window panes on the ground and first floors of a nearby building were broken in the impact of the blast,” he said.
Togliatti, with a population of about 700,000 people, is home to Russia’s largest automaker Avtovaz, which makes cars under the Lada brand.