Rush hour train blast kills 40 in Moscow

Up to 40 people have been reported dead after a massive explosion rocked the Moscow underground system this morning.

The blast, which ripped through a train carriage, occurred at 8.30am local time – during the busiest period of the Russian capital's commuter rush hour. Around 120 people were also reported injured – with many suffering from smoke inhalation and burns.

The wreckage is located in one of the deepest sections of the underground network, which has hampered the efforts of emergency services personnel. Many survivors had to walk down the rail line for a mile to reach a safe exit.

Eyewitnesses have described how survivors clambered out from the station's entrance covered in blood, dazed and with faces blackened from fierce underground fires.

The cause of the devastation has not yet been confirmed, but if it proves to be terrorist related it will cause great public disquiet in the capital as around nine million people use the Moscow underground system every day.

The Russian President Vladimir Putin has been unequivocal in his assessment of the horrific scenes around Paveletskaya train station, blaming Chechen separatists for the explosion.

According to the Russian Interfax news agency, Mr Putin said: "We do not need any indirect confirmation. We know for certain that Maskhadov [the Chechen leader] and his bandits are linked to this terrorism."

Chechen rebels have apparently denied any involvement in this morning's blast.

At this early stage, Russian officials suspect that a 5lb explosive device, possibly contained in luggage, was detonated on the train. However, a search of the impact area has so far yielded no metal shrapnel – a common component in devices used by suicide bombers.

The last suicide bomb attack on the city occurred in December last year. Five people died when bombs carried by two women exploded prematurely close to the Kremlin.

(gmcg)