Blasts in St Petersburg metro stations kill 10: Authorities

St. Petersburg, Russia: At least 10 people lost their lives in explosions in two train carriages at metro stations in St. Petersburg on Monday, Russian authorities said.

Interfax news office cited an anonymous source as saying one of the blasts was brought on by a bomb loaded with shrapnel. 

President Vladimir Putin, who was in St. Petersburg for a meeting with Belarussian pioneer Alexander Lukashenko, said the reason for the blasts was not yet clear and efforts were in progress. He said he was thinking about all conceivable possibilities including terrorism.

A Reuters witness saw eight ambulances close to the Sennaya Ploshchad metro station.  Video showed injured people lying bleeding on a platform, some being treated by emergency services. Others ran away from the platform amid clouds of smoke.

A huge hole was blasted in the side of one carriage with mangled metal wreckage strewn around the platform. Passengers were seen hammering at the windows of one closed carriage.

Authorities have shut all St. Petersburg metro stations. The Moscow metro said it was taking unspecified extra safety efforts in the event of an assault there. Russia has been the t arget of attacks by Chechen militants in past years. Chechen rebel leaders have frequently threatened further attacks.