Tweets From The Scene In St. Petersburg

On Monday, April 3 there was an explosion in the St. Petersburg, Russia metro. The Russian state-run news agencies confirmed that the two blasts have killed nine people. Additionally, Andrey Kibitov, the head of the city government’s press service tweeted that at least 50 have been injured. The blast took place in between two city center stations, ennaya Ploschad (Sennaya Square) and Technologichesky Institut (Technological Institute). Both stations are along the No. 2 line and serve as transfer points. According to the Associated Press, the Russian anti-terrorism committee is now reporting a bomb was discovered and deactivated at another St. Petersburg station. All metro stations are currently closed within the city.

Russian President Vladimir Putin was in town on Monday to meet with he Belorussian president Alexander Lukashenko, as well as speak at an event. The President had already moved to the town of Strelna, a nearby seaside town, when the blasts occurred. He has been reported safe and plans to still meet with Lukashenko later in the day. Putin released a statement condemning the attack and acknowledging that it is too early to know the cause but all options will be considered.

"I was going going down the escalator at Sennaya square at about half past 2, and at that moment I felt an explosion wave underneath. Everything was filled with smoke, people started panicking. So the trains stopped and almost immediately the evacuation started," Stanislav Listyev told CNN. He was entering the station at the time of the blast.

The attack echoes a similar Russian explosion when, on March 29, 2010, almost seven years to the day ago, two suicide bombers struck two Moscow subway stations, killing dozens. When devastating attacks like this occur it is important to stay aware of all the information and not place blame without evidence to support it. The focus needs to be on supporting those who have lost loved ones or are injured.

Read on for tweets showing local accounts of the scene.